Faculty uproar over temporary deputation to Baramati Medical College
Doctor
Pune: A decision to temporarily transfer 12 senior medical professors — 11 from Pune’s prestigious B.J. Medical College (BJMC) and one from Solapur’s Government Medical College (GMC) — to the newly established Punyashlok Ahilyabai Devi Holkar Government Medical College in Baramati has sparked discontent among the faculty involved.
An official letter, signed by Anil Bhandari, Commissioner of Medical Education and AYUSH, aimed to address the acute faculty shortage at the newly established government medical college.
In the letter, addressed to the deans of BJMC and GMC Solapur, Bhandari stated that the deputed professors are being assigned on a temporary basis and that their existing pay scales and grade structures will remain unchanged during this period.
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BJMC Dean Dr. Eknath Pawar confirmed that he has not yet relieved the deputed professors as he is awaiting formal communication. Speaking to TOI, he said, "The senior professors met me. I have not yet relieved them since I have not yet received the letter. We, too, have a shortage of faculty, and if these professors go to Baramati, then our students will face difficulties."
GMC Solapur Dean Dr. R. D. Jaykar confirmed that only one professor from his college has been deputed and has already been relieved of duties.
The move has been met with resistance at BJMC. The professors affected include senior heads and associate professors from critical departments such as gynaecology, internal medicine, microbiology, surgery, paediatrics, orthopaedics, obstetrics, pharmacy, and anatomy.
On Tuesday, the deputed professors submitted a formal letter to the commissioner’s office, requesting a rollback of the decision.
Faculty and postgraduate students at BJMC have questioned the rationale behind pulling resources from one of the state’s oldest and most prominent medical colleges to staff a new institution that is still in the process of becoming fully operational.
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One of the affected professors said he may resign if he is forced to go to Baramati. "Many of us have been here for a long time and built a strong reputation. Some others have been at BJMC for their entire careers, but have not been told to go to Baramati," reports TOI.
