RTI Revelation: 40% of doctors didn’t join their duty as government medical officers.

TOI reports that the state has a requirement of 6,000 medical officers and is under a shortage of 1,400.

After a gap of two years, the health department this month announced recruitment of MBBS doctors on 894 posts. “We have advertised 894 posts for medical officers this month,” Dr RS Chhipi, additional director (gazetted), health department told the daily.

There can be a number of reasons cited for vacant medical posts in government setups.  However, the most applicable in the state include the inability of the government to define remote and difficult areas owing to which MBBS can lose or gain incentive marks in NEET PG exam

“The MBBS doctors posted in remote and difficult areas get incentive marks they secure in NEET pre-PG exams for getting admission in PG medical courses. If they get posting in community health centres and primary health centres which do not fall in remote and difficult areas, they would prefer not joining the posting,” Dr Jitendra Bagria, a public health management expert told TOI.

Other reasons cited include not giving the doctors their choice of posting and almost non-existant basic amenities in the posts especially PHCs including  electricity, water and facilities like security and education for their children