Gujarat appoints 4 senior doctors in Govt Medical Colleges hospitals

Ahmedabad: In a significant development, the Gujarat health department has appointed four senior doctors to key administrative positions in the state's medical colleges and hospitals on a temporary basis.  

In Ahmedabad, Dr Meenakshi Parikh, who currently serves as the director of postgraduate (PG) studies at BJ Medical College, has been given the additional responsibility of dean. Alongside her, Dr Dharmesh Patel, a forensic medicine professor and the additional dean, will now take over as the PG director.

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In Vadodara, Dr R G Iyer, the dean of SSG Hospital, has been assigned the additional charge of the hospital’s medical superintendent. Similar interim arrangements are in place for the Paraplegia Institute and the Civil Hospital.

In a separate development, Dr Haribhai R Kataria, dean of the faculty of science at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, has been appointed as the vice-chancellor of Shri Guru Gobind University in Godhra. 

His five-year term will begin from the date he joins, as outlined in the Gujarat Public Universities Act, 2023. He replaces former vice-chancellor Pratapsinh Chauhan, who was granted a one-year extension before stepping down.

The current administrative setup shows a growing trend of handling key positions through temporary or additional charges rather than making permanent appointments. TOI report suggests that this approach is being followed in medical colleges and hospitals across cities like Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, and others.

Meanwhile, doctors and healthcare experts have raised concerns about temporary appointments in important roles, saying these could affect how key decisions are made in medical colleges. 

Medical Dialogues recently reported that the Delhi government has appointed and transferred 26 senior medical officials, including medical superintendents, principals and medical directors from their current postings to major government hospitals across the capital. The major healthcare institutions included Lok Nayak Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, and GB Pant Hospital.

Also read- 26 senior doctors transferred, major overhaul at Delhi Hospitals