Last Updated on January 24, 2022 at 11:14 am
In a peculiar move, Health and Medical Education Department in Jammu and Kashmir has mulled to empower administrators, personal officers and administrative officers of Government Medical Colleges and subordinate departments of Health and Medical Education department. J&K government has proposed that a major share of powers and responsibilities of the Principals of Government Medical Colleges of J&K be delegated to the government-appointed administrators.
As per the order, these officials, who are usually officers appointed from the administrative services would have a major share of the powers related to the administration of the GMCs as well as the hospitals these medical colleges run.
The work that are proposed to be assigned to the administrators have been with the principals of GMCs till now. These are the service records and promotion of all employees – permanent, non-permanent, gazette and non-gazetted, many financial matters including budgeting and planning, surveys, purchases, monitoring of various health schemes, the GMC website, vigilance of medical colleges, matters related to students including admissions and many others.
However, medical faculty and their associations are condemning this step. As per reports, medical experts said that while doctors all over India are demanding distinct cadre of Indian Medical Services so that the doctors can govern their own administration but J&K administration is trying to snatch rights of Principals of Medical Colleges.
Medical Faculty Association (MFA) of Government Medical and Dental College Srinagar said that the draft proposal regarding diversion of administrative powers of Principal Government Medical College Srinagar/Jammu to the Administrators of Associated Hospitals is clear infringement on the rights and jurisdiction of the executive heads of the medical institutions. MFA urged the government not to go ahead with the draft proposal.
GMC Srinagar faculty member said that the proposal was undermining the institution of medical professionalism and decades of experience in dealing with integral health systems.
