Super-specialists do not want to Join Govt: Nadda

New Delhi: Medical super specialists are "not very keen" to join government services leaving a major gap in public health facilities, the health minister, JP Nadda was found informing the Lok Sabha. He further highlighted it to be a major reason for mismatch between vacancies and availability of doctors.

Health minster J P Nadda said the government has taken several measures to retain the best talent and fill up vacant posts. These include time bound promotion without linkage to vacancies upto senior administrative grade. However, in spite of all these measures, doctors in super specialities have not  been found too keen to join these services.

"During 2013 and 2014, requisitions for 83 posts in various super specialties were sent to UPSC," the minister informed. "The UPSC could only recommend 38 candidates out of which 31 finally joined the services," he further added.

He also made clear that in accordance with the advice of the department of personnel and the need to explore the desirability and feasibility of constituting  the Indian Medical Service, the matter had  referred to the cadre review committee, whose report had now come in.

With the growth of private sector, indeed, there are less and less graduating super-specialists that are attracted to the government sector. Low pay, inhuman working hours as well as lack of state-of-the-art working machinery and instruments leading to less expertise and more frustration, are some of the main reasons that keep super-specialised professionals away from joining the public sector.