Rajasthan doctors take to streets, oppose lateral entry of non-teaching cadre into medical colleges
Rajasthan Medical Teachers
Jaipur: Demanding that the Government prevent the lateral entry of the government's non-teaching doctors into medical education, the faculty at SMS Medical College took out a rally in protest from SMS Hospital and culminated at SMS Medical College.
Faculty teachers, resident doctors and medical students also joined the rally. The medical teachers boycotted work from 8 am to 10 am, and as a result, the healthcare facilities at the hospital were affected during the rally. However, the emergency services and emergency operation theatre remained fully operational.
The doctors under the Rajasthan Medical College Teachers' Association (RMCTA), have been protesting for the last two weeks. An office-bearer from the association threatened to intensify their protest if their demands were not met. They also threatened the government with mass resignation.
As per the latest media report by The Times of India, the office bearer of RMCTA further added that the government had yet to show any sign of a concrete solution or meaningful dialogue.
RMCTA said that despite the protest at the State's largest hospital for 15 days, the government had not taken any positive step. The association said that this attitude reflected the government's insensitivity and stubbornness towards patients' suffering.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Rajasthan Government had set up a panel to study the final Medical Institutions (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations, 2025, released by the National Medical Commission (NMC) in the official Gazette on June 30, 2025.
The committee had been constituted under the Chairmanship of the Commissioner of the Directorate of Medical Education. Other members of the committee included the Director, Public Health, Ravi Prakash Sharma, additional director (academic) Rashmi Gupta, principal and controller SMS Medical College, Deepak Maheshwari, and Principal and controller of RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Vipin Kumar Mathur, among others.
Apart from studying the new NMC provisions, this committee was instructed to prepare a factual report regarding the adjustment of doctors from the health department working in medical colleges in the medical education department.
Back then, RMCTA had demanded the dissolution of the government panel and warned of launching statewide agitation if its demands were not met. The association had opined that the State's decision to set up the committee was against the interests of both medical education and doctor teachers.
An RMCTA official alleged that the government has "artificially" created a shortage at the levels of associate professor and professor by halting regular promotions in six medical colleges in Jaipur, Ajmer, Kota, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Bikaner. He argued that if the promotions were granted as per the NMC norms, no positions would remain vacant, TOI had reported.
Further, the medical teachers also accused the State of rendering the Rajasthan Public Service Commission inactive and appointing unqualified members due to political ambitions, leading to increased corruption and halted recruitments.
RMCTA said that to address this shortage, the Government now intends to appoint unqualified doctors through lateral entry. They called it an injustice to the rural cadre and a step that would disrupt the State's medical services. Apart from announcing a massive rally on September 23, the association had also initiated a hunger strike.
