Professors reject govt terms for posts in new medical colleges

Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 16

The pattern of hiring faculty members for five new medical colleges in J&K for one year of academic arrangement is seen as an attempt to extend bureaucratic influence on them instead of putting in place a high-quality academic system.

Dozens of retired professors and associate professors of medical institutions of J&K, presently working outside the state at huge salaries are unlikely to get attracted to the state government’s one-year deal. They are willing to compromise on the salaries but unlikely to return for a one-year contract when they can work in private colleges outside state up to 70 years of age. “Why will we give up a seven-year contract here for one-year agreement in J&K and that too on a meagre salary? After one year in J&K, I have to again seek employment. I may not even be paid 20 per cent of the salary which I draw in the private college here,” said a recently retired professor of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, presently working in a private college in Haryana.

The Union Health Ministry in early 2014 announced new medical colleges in Baramulla, Anantnag, Rajouri, Doda and Kathua districts. The state government in the past two months is in overdrive to start the first batch of 500 MBBS students from 2019 in these colleges. However, the proposed colleges have vacancies professors and associate professors. Official sources said the government was going to pay a consolidated salary of Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 to the faculty members.

“I don’t think anyone will return to J&K at this deal. Giving up all quality life facilities and lakhs of rupees in salary to return home is understood but for a one-year contract will obviously be a difficult decision to take for anyone,” said Dr Safoora Bilques, former head of social and preventive medicine department of Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar. She along with her husband and former GMC principal Dr Mushtaq Shah work at MMU Medical College at Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The Tribune talked to several retired professors working in various medical colleges across India. They termed the one-year contract as a way to put faculty members in submission. Principal Secretary Health and Medical Education Atal Dulloo said a proposal for enhancing the retirement age of professors in new medical colleges up to 70 years was under consideration of the government.