The Hindu : Front Page : Top posts vacant in government hospitals

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Wednesday, Apr 08, 2009
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Top posts vacant in government hospitals

R. Sujatha

Recruitment delay due to election
Plan to make alternative arrangements

CHENNAI: In three major tertiary hospitals in the city, the post of dean/director/superintendent has been vacant, in some cases for several months now.

Health department officials and the Directorate of Medical Education say the delay in filling up the posts is due to the general election.

The Dean of Government General Hospital, to which the Madras Medical College is attached, retired on March 31.

The Director of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, to which the Government Women and Children’s Hospital in Egmore is attached, retired several months ago. The Superintendent of Kasturba Gandhi Hospital at Triplicane also retired sometime ago. In none of these institutions the vacancies have been filled.

Senior doctors say the process involves forming a panel of qualified candidates and forwarding the list to the government. Usually, this process is initiated a few months ahead of the retirement of the doctors holding the posts and the panel is ready by March 15 for filling up vacancies arising due to retirement in the next financial year, thereby allowing enough time for the new official to take over.

Government hospitals in Madurai, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore and Dharmapuri also do not have Deans, in some cases for over a year.

Health Secretary V.K. Subburaj, admitting that the elections were delaying the appointment of Deans, said in a week’s time the department would decide on making alternative arrangements.

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