BMCRI professors challenge direct recruitment at former Bowring Hospital

Four Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) assistant professors have approached the Karnataka High Court to challenge direct faculty recruitment to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute (ABVMCRI).

While hearing the case on Thursday, the court asked ABVMCRI to not proceed with the recruitment until the next hearing, slated for September 1.

ABVMCRI was formerly Bowring & Lady Curzon Hospital that functioned under BMCRI. In 2016, the government had turned Bowring Hospital into a medical college, and later renamed it ABVMCRI. However, BMCRI professors continued to work at ABVMCRI on deputation.

In 2019, the government even passed an order that the excess professors at BMCRI could opt to permanently transfer and get absorbed into ABVMCRI.

It also issued memorandums in 2021, asking the faculty to make their choice.

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In June 2021, the government changed its position and opted to recruit the faculty at ABVMCRI afresh. Some professors challenged the decision in court, which ruled in their favour.

The issue has resurfaced since ABVMCRI notified for direct recruitment on August 5 without absorbing the BMCRI professors.

The professors say they have built up the medical college over the years and hiring of fresh faculty now will hurt their prospects.

“At BMCRI, we get promotions only when a senior professor retires. As per the rules, an assistant professor should be promoted as associate professor after four years of service, and then as professor after another three years.

“But since there is a designated number of faculty in each department at BMCRI already, we don’t get promoted even after 10 years of service,” says one of the petitioners. Two of the four petitioners have been working as assistant professors for over 10 years and haven’t been promoted, though they draw higher salaries.

The petitioners say the medical college should first absorb them, and then hire new faculty for the remaining positions.