WB SR posting process under fire after 930 PG doctors deployed without merit counselling

Kolkata: The West Bengal health department has sparked a row after it released a list of 930 postgraduate doctors for Senior Resident postings across teaching and non-teaching hospitals in the state.

The list, published on Thursday, includes doctors who recently completed their postgraduate courses and are required to serve a mandatory three-year bond as part of their training.

However, controversy erupted after allegations that the posting process was reportedly carried out without merit-based counselling, as per a TOI news report.

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Earlier, postgraduate trainee doctors were usually posted as Senior Residents in a medical college during the first year. The remaining two years were typically spent in rural, district or sub-divisional hospitals.

This system was aligned with the guidelines of the National Medical Commission (NMC), which require doctors to complete at least one year of senior residency in a medical college to become eligible for faculty positions in medical education.

This time, however, the pattern reportedly appears to have changed. While some postgraduate doctors have been posted in medical colleges, many others have been assigned to district, sub-divisional, and super-specialty hospitals.

Commenting on the issue, Professor Gumta from the Association of Health Service Doctors, West Bengal told TOI, "This is nepotism and a non-transparent posting process. While some are posted in medical colleges, others are posted in district or sub-divisional hospitals. Also, according to the National Medical Commission, one year of senior residency in a medical college is essential to enter medical education. In that case, those posted to districts will be denied entry into medical education service."

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