Health dept recalls docs to fill up vacancies

 To make this transition smooth, the department will hold a two-day counselling for its 360 doctors. This exercise has never been done before by the department.

The first batch will comprise doctors from general medicine, general surgery, gynaecology, pediatrics and anaesthesia. The second batch will include other specialties like orthopedics, ophthalmology, ENT, leprosy, psychiatry, radiology, pathology, MCH urology, forensic medicine, GDMO (senior doctors), dentists, etc. The counselling is scheduled to take place on May 19 and 20. The government directive to call all the deputed doctors under health department was issued late last year. However, as it was in the middle of the academic and financial year, the implementation was delayed till now. The doctors from health department were posted in departments like Medical education, ESI dispensaries, Wellesley TB hospital, BBMP and other local governing bodies.  

The department will indicate the postings available nd the senior most doctors will be given option to choose first. "If a senior doctor has just a few more months left to retire, he can select the vacancy close to his hometown and retire from there," said Health Commissioner D N Nayak. The commissioner believed this way the grievances among the doctors will be less.  There are about 900 vacancies in the specialist position and close to 1,000 in general duty doctors' post.  To make things easier, a hard copy with all the vacancies will be circulated among the doctors to make up their mind. The vacancies will also be put up on digital display board at the counselling centre where doctors according to their seniority will be called and asked about their preference. Once a posting is chosen, it will automatically be taken off the screen.