Increase Posts, Hold Recruitment after NEET PG Counselling: Rajasthan Doctors Urge Govt
Shortage of Doctors
Jaipur: Highlighting the shortage of doctors in State Government facilities, including primary healthcare centres, Rajasthan doctors have urged the Government to increase the number of medical officer posts.
Further, the All Rajasthan MBBS Doctors' Association pointed out how the officers leave their posts after being selected for postgraduate medical education. Therefore, it has requested the Government to fill up the vacant posts after the completion of the National Eligibility-and-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) counseling.
Writing to the Chief Minister, the doctors under the All Rajasthan MBBS Doctor's Association pointed out that due to the huge shortage of treating doctors, the common people are forced to get treatment from quacks.
The association further pointed out that some posts were left vacant in the recruitment of 1765 medical officers held two years ago in 2022, and 500 posts were left vacant in the recruitment of 2000 medical officers held in 2020. Due to this, doctors are not available to ensure medical facilities for the general public.
As per the association, currently, more than 5000 posts of medical officers are vacant and recruitment has been done after 2 years for only 1220 posts, which is very low in number. It also mentioned that more than 9400 applications were received for 1765 posts and in 2024, at least 15000 applications are expected to be received for 1220 posts. Referring to this, the association argued that even though there are doctors available in the State, there is a shortage of them in government hospitals.
Further, the association referred to the recent assurance of the Finance Minister about creating 1500 new posts of Medical Officer. Therefore, it urged the CM to ensure medical facilities are available to the common people of the State by creating new posts in 1220 posts of recruitment of doctors in 2024, and increasing the posts, the Minister assured to increase the posts, the Minister assured to increase the recruitment to about 3000 posts so that once the medical system in the State reaches a higher level and every house and hamlet can benefit from medical facilities.
Rajasthan Doctors Urge CM to Increase Posts of Medical Officers & Hold Recruitment after NEET PG Counselling
Apart from this, the association also pointed out that even after a long time of verification, many passout doctors have not been registered in the medical council. Further, the association highlighted the delay in NEET-PG Counselling and mentioned that the selected doctors would be on both sides. Referring to this, it urged the Government to hold the recruitment exam after the NEET PG Counselling and also requested to quickly register the doctors who are still not registered in the council, so that new doctors get proper employment opportunities.
The association also pointed out that Prime Minister Modi Ji had announced the recruitment of 15000 doctors and 20000 paramedical staff in the manifesto and requested the CM to increase the number of seats so that the Prime Minister's dream of having a doctor in every village comes true.
Therefore, the demands of the association included increasing the number of posts to 3000, registering the foreign and Indian medical graduates to the medical council soon, conducting regular recruitment every year, maintaining transparency in the exam papers, and setting up a committee to stop cheating, holding the recruitment examination after the NEET PG counseling.
Speaking to Medical Dialogues, Dr. Vinod Bagra, the President of the All Rajasthan MBBS Doctors' Association said, "It happened previously that after joining in the seats of Medical Officers, several doctors were selected for NEET PG and they joined the PG medical courses, leading to the vacancy in the posts of Medical Officers. Therefore, we have requested the authorities to hold the recruitment exam in January, after completion of the NEET PG Counselling."
"We also want an increase of 1000-2000 seats as the posts of officers in the PHCs are lying vacant," he further added.
Meanwhile, the association also wrote to the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS) on 20.11.2024 and urged them to take proper steps to stop cheating malpractice in the Medical Officer Recruitment Exam-2024.
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