Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir administration has handed over the administive powers of principal in Government Medical Colleges of Jammu and Srinagar and their associated hospitals to bureaucrats.
However, the order drew critism from the medical experts and Medical Faculty Association (MFA) of GMC Srinagar.
"The decision is in violation of National Medical Commission (NCM) guidelines wherein principals are administrative, clinical and academic heads of the medical colleges," experts said.
"It is clear infringement on the rights and jurisdiction of the executive heads of the medical institutions ensured by the National Medical Commission and the University Grants Commission, MFA said.
The proposal reads that in order to settle the aforesaid issues, the hierarchical channel/pyramid for Government Medical College, Jammu/Srinagar for examining/routing the files and submitting the information to the Administrative Departments as well as concerned quarters shall be administrative officers of GMC Srinagar/Jammu forwarding files to personal officers who will forward them to administrators of the said colleges except policy decisions/issues which shall be decided by the concerned Principal.
The draft-proposal is demoralizing to the faculty members who are busy fighting unrelenting variants of Covid-19 like Omicron, delta, etc. in addition to their routine responsibilities of healthcare and medical education, it added.
The association said it would have no objection if the arrangement were part of national scheme applicable to all such institutions of the country. No such system is available from any medical institutions in any of the states or the Union Territories.
The Medical Faculty Association urges the government to not go ahead with the draft proposal so as to ensure the respect and the rights of the executive heads of medical institutions of repute like GMC Srinagar/Jammu and, hence, a cordial working atmosphere among various levels of administration is not disturbed.
(KNO)
