Non-clinical faculty to now do clinical Duties at Bengal Govt Hospitals

Kolkata: In a significant decision, the West Bengal Health Department has issued a circular directing professors from non-clinical departments to take part in patient care at state-run medical colleges and hospitals, as part of newly introduced faculty duty rosters.

The directive mandates that professors from non-clinical departments such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, community medicine, and forensic medicine will now be assigned medical duties in outpatient departments (OPDs), emergencies, and other critical areas as needed.

The circular issued in this regard on January 3 stated, "Faculty members from non-clinical disciplines, other than those preoccupied with medico-legal autopsies, will also be assigned duties in general OPD/flu clinic/others on exigency as assigned by MSVP/principal/director of the institution, under the supervision of concerned faculty members of the assigned clinical unit."

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The move has been taken to address the ongoing crisis of overstretched medical staff in government-run medical colleges and hospitals. The state health department expects that a large pool of qualified physicians, who were just taking lectures till now, can be used to shoulder a part of medical duties.

Welcoming the move, an anatomy department professor at Medical College Kolkata told TOI, “When we were MBBS students, we saw patients as part of clinical training. So, we have the qualification to examine patients in outdoor or emergency. At present, non-clinical professors like us leave college after classes. As per the new directive, we will have to work on medical duty in addition to teaching, just like clinical professors. This is a welcome decision."

"We chipped in by checking patients during the junior doctors' strike for over two months. During the pandemic, we were on emergency medical duty too," said another professor of physiology at the medical college.

A senior health department official said, “Non-clinical professors are all MBBS degree holders and qualified to examine and treat patients. As state-run medical colleges have a crisis of doctors, these non-clinical professors will be asked to check patients at OPDs or emergencies or other places, as required. It is necessary for non-clinical professors to be on medical duties so that clinical professors are not overburdened."

Apart from these, the circular further mentioned the expansion of OPDs to reduce patient waiting time and directed all faculty members to attend OPDs on the admission day mandatorily.

"All the faculty members must attend OPDS on the Admission Day from 09:00 am till the last patient is treated/managed or 02:00 pm whichever is later. The morning round of the already admitted patients has to be given on that day before starting OPD," it added.

Further, it clarified that at least one of the faculty members should meet the patient's relatives twice a day, every day in front of the unit in charge. Patients admitted under a particular unit will be exclusively managed by that unit, and interim redistribution of responsibilities across units has been strictly prohibited.

The guidelines also introduce strict leave policies for faculty members. It mentioned that no more than two faculty members from the same unit will be allowed to take leave at the same time. Additionally, one faculty member must always be present in the Central Laboratory and Radiology Department during duty hours (9:00 AM to 4:00 PM) to ensure uninterrupted diagnostic services.

"The H.O.D, apart from looking after his own Unit, shall also do a check on admitted patients of other Units from time to time on regular basis to ensure that the S.O.A.P (subjective, objective, assessment and plan) format is strictly followed.

Department of Community Medicine will run a general OPD (GOPD) - 6 days a week-where milder common cases will be disposed of. HOD, Community Medicine, will be in charge of GOPD & during preparation of duty roster for GOPD, inclusion of faculties from other Pre- Clinical and Para-Clinical departments may be considered, if required, with due concurrence front MSVP/Principal/Director of the Institution," added the circular.

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