Now, med PG diploma holders can pursue senior residency

The Minimum Qualification for Teachers in Medical Institutions (Amendment) Regulations, 2019 gazetted last August may be of help for few government medical colleges in the state facing faculty shortage.

The notification allows those with post-graduate diploma to pursue senior residency. It is mandatory for a faculty in medical college to have pursued senior residency. At present only the MBBS doctors with MS, MD or DNB qualifications are eligible senior residency. The notification relaxes the eligibility criteria for senior residency and thus ensures availability of more faculty for medical colleges. In addition, the maximum age for senior residency has been extended from 40 to 45.

Karnataka has 57 medical colleges - highest in the country - with 17 government colleges, 38 private medical colleges and two centrally-owned ESI medical colleges. Dr P G Girish, Director of Medical Education department, told DH that colleges at district centres opened four years ago were the only ones facing faculty shortage.

“Only recently opened medical colleges have 10% to 15% faculty deficiency. Otherwise we have sufficient faculty in all other medical colleges which can accommodate 150 medical students and a few PG seats. We have little difficulty in Karwar and Kodagu that will be taken care of this year,”
he said.

The director said that there was shortage of junior residents and senior residents. “We lack doctors only in Bidar, Kodagu and Karwar. The Medical Council of India accepts faculty shortage up to 10%. We are doing recruitment from time to time since we have 15% shortage. Also, last year all PG diploma seats were converted to Masters except 83 seats,” he added.

Dr S Sachidananda, Vice Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, said quite a few diploma holders were pursuing senior residency at present. “But they won’t get a promotion unless they have an MD. They will be stuck lifelong as senior residents as they cannot be considered for promotion to assistant professors, associate professors, and professors.”

DR C R Jayanthi, Dean, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, said, “With this notification we can take PG diploma holders as senior residents up to 45 years of age but there is no clarity if we can consider them for promotion as assistant professors. As of today you need an MD or MS to become an assistant professor. But if you only want to practise, you can do that with a PG diploma,” she added.