Patna, Dec. 1: The health department, in an effort to improve healthcare delivery system in government-run hospitals in the state, has expedited the process of recruiting specialist doctors.

The department today released a list of 47 specialist doctors to be appointed on a regular basis.

In the first phase, paediatricians, gynaecologists, general surgeons and anaesthetics have been recruited. The qualified candidates, who have been appointed by Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), have now been called for verification of documents on the 13th of this month.

In June this year, the government had issued advertisements for regular appointment of 1,510 doctors for the post of medical officers and 1,600 specialist doctors. As the number of applicants was much less than the number of posts, the government has been unable to fill all the posts at one go.

The government’s new policy implies that large-scale appointment of doctors will be done in general and specialist cadres, as the department now intends to post at least four specialist doctors at the primary health centre (PHC)-level in addition to general doctors. The government also plans to appoint skin specialists and orthopaedics at the PHC-level.

Sources say that health services in the state are badly hit because of acute shortage of doctors. However, the jobs offered by the government have not drawn good response from young medicos because of alleged faults in service terms.

“Wrong selection policy and bad service conditions are the main reasons behind not many medicos applying for government jobs. In Bihar, the government has made it a rule that every medico after completing MBBS and one-year internship, has to work in rural health centre for two years if they aim to apply for regular appointment as a doctor with the government sector,” said Dr Ajay Kumar, general secretary, Bihar Heath Services Association. “All government doctors have to essentially work at rural health centres for six years after getting appointed as regular doctors, so why is the two-year experience made mandatory? This rule makes no sense,” Kumar added.

Kumar said the salary structure for specialist doctors was also yet to be revised as rules of promotion and retirement age were yet to be changed. “Even as every block needs at least four specialist doctors, not many doctors want to take up the job because of these drawbacks. We have been asking the government to come sit with us so that we can evolve a better formula of recruitment. If our suggestions are implemented, there will be no dearth of government doctors and medicos will not migrate to other states,” he added.