Govt. doctors oppose GO reducing quota for PHC doctors in PG courses

The government doctors in Andhra Pradesh have strongly opposed the Government Order, Ms. No. 85, that cuts down in-service quota for medical professionals for pursuing postgraduate courses in government medical colleges.

In-service quota is reservation in PG seats in medical colleges for those who, after completion of their MBBS course, work for a minimum of two years in the government sector, at the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs). Later, when they write and clear the NEET exam, they are given admission in medical colleges under the quota. The GO, brought in by the government in July, reduces the reservation for these service doctors from the existing 30% to 15% in clinical departments and 50% to 30% in non-clinical departments.

“Every doctor dreams of pursuing a PG course. But, NEET is an extremely difficult examination to crack. Many go for coaching, while some of them choose to work in the government sector for a few years in the hope that they will get the opportunity to study their desired PG course through the quota. Now, with reduction of seats, our career opportunities will be affected,” said a doctor, who wished to remain anonymous, working at a PHC in a tribal area of Alluri Sitarama Raju district.

To be eligible for the in-service quota, one has to work at a PHC for a few years depending on the region. In urban areas, it is six years, in rural areas, it is three years and in tribal areas it is two years of service.

Based on a committee report, the government, in the GO, mentioned that the rationale behind such a move is that there are less specialist posts and the number of people seeking the post is more. The Health Department has made significant efforts to fill vacancies as and when they occur, and as a result, vacancies for various specialist posts have come down, the GO says. It adds that with significant increase in PG seats in government and private medical colleges, the availability of specialists has increased.

To this, the doctor said: “As of September 12, Thursday, there are many specialist posts lying vacant in Community Health Centres (CHC). In Munchigiput CHC, five specialists are required and all five posts are vacant. In Chintapalli Area Hospital, 12 posts out of 23 are vacant. In Araku Area Hospital, six out of 18 specialist posts are vacant.”

It may be noted that an MBBS degree is required to serve in PHCs, while to serve in CHCs or Area hospitals, one needs to have a PG degree.

“Even if there are no vacancies, what is the point of cutting down seats meant for service doctors? We can still pursue the PG course and serve in CHCs,” said the doctor, part of the Andhra Pradesh Primary Health Centres Doctors’ Association.

The move will have implications beyond restricting a service doctor from upping their career growth, said D. Jayadheer Babu, the Government Doctors’ Association president.

“It will deter those who completed MBBS from taking up government service. PHCs are very important in the chain of medical institutions, since these focus on prevention of diseases among people, vaccination and family planning. If the quota is reduced, who will feel encouraged to serve the public?” he asked, adding that this was an injustice to PHC doctors.

Calling it unfair, the PHC Doctors’ Association, in a release, said the GO diminished opportunities for their career progression and blocked their path to specialisation. They demanded that the GO be immediately withdrawn. They said if the demands were not met, going on strike would be their last resort.