Maharashtra should regularize service of more than 300 medical teachers: MSMTA

Commenting on the issue, Dr. Sameer Golawar, secretary of the MSMTA told Medical Dialogues, "Despite constructive meetings with state medical education secretary Saurabh Vijay and our representatives, the state has not provided us with a formal commitment that our many requests would be met in a timely manner."

According to the association, almost more than 1,000 pre-planned surgeries had to be deferred across several state-run medical colleges as teachers and doctors were boycotting their clinical work as a means of protest.

Previously Medical Dialogues reported that resident doctors all across the state resigned from the Post Graduate (PG) guideship demanding regularization and allowances in line with the 7th pay commission. The doctors are also waiting for time-bound promotions.

The medical professors who worked tirelessly during the epidemic, despite many hospitals turning down COVID patients, are not seeing any progress in their careers as they are not being promoted in a time-bound manner. There have been peaceful protests and demonstrations for the past one and a half months. The protesting medical teachers pointed out that the government previously stated that contractual medical teachers serving COVID duties should be regularized after two years of work but they have not been regularized yet.

Dr. Golawar added, " Our key demand is that the 19 government medical colleges of the state should regularise the services of more than 300 medical teachers. The state has often said that these temporary medical teachers who are working on sanctioned posts and were lawfully appointed by a divisional selection board should be made permanent. During the COVID epidemic, they worked nonstop for two years, risking their lives."

Currently, Pune's B J Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital's doctors, working with the Pune branch of the MSMTA, said that they would participate in Tuesday's meeting and would take decision according to the meeting's conclusion.