Forced to work after completion of tenure, claim resident doctors pursuing PG courses at Kalwa Hospital

Twenty five resident doctors pursuing PG courses at Rajiv Gandhi Medical College and Chhatrapati Shivaji Hospital, known as Kalwa Hospital, and who have completed their tenure between July and September claimed that they were forced to work even after the completion of tenure

Twenty five resident doctors pursuing post-graduate courses at Rajiv Gandhi Medical College and Chhatrapati Shivaji Hospital, known as Kalwa Hospital, and who have completed their tenure between July and September claimed that they were forced to work even after the completion of tenure as the Thane Municipal Corporation’s (TMC) health department was not relieving them.

Kalwa Hospital, where resident doctors doing PG courses claim they are forced to work even after end of tenure. (For representational purposes only) (HT FILE PHOTO)

In a circular issued by the TMC, it claimed that the students who are appearing for their final post-graduation examinations in November, will have to rejoin after the examination as junior residents till new students are allotted the duties.

While the TMC has claimed that they will be short-staffed if these residents were relieved immediately, the resident doctors have claimed that they were not able to apply for higher education or new jobs unless the TMC relieved them. Moreover, the residents also claimed that the college authority has also given them merely 15 days’ preparatory leave for the exams while the leave should actually be at least 45 days.

A resident doctor who did not wish to be named said, “According to a circular issued by the College of Physician and Surgeons of Mumbai (CPS), who conducts these examinations, they have mentioned that students can render service after the training is completed if and only if they are willing to do so. Some of us have to apply for higher education or jobs in our respective cities, but with the new TMC guidelines we can’t do either.”

He claimed that if the new students join in late, they will end up working for a long time.

Another resident doctor added, “We have worked tirelessly in the pandemic due to which our original speciality work has been hampered. Still, we have worked very hard. We are meeting the TMC officials to discuss the issue today or tomorrow, requesting them to rethink the decision.”

Bhimrao Jadhav, dean, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, Kalwa, said that the decision taken is in the interest of the patients and also the students. “The decision to not relieve the resident doctors was taken after talking to all the concerned department heads in the hospital. Every year, after the NEET PG and other PG exams are held, many PG students join the hospital. However, since the examinations were delayed this year, there are no new PG students as of now. If we release these residents immediately, we will fall short of doctors at the hospital. Our aim is not to make them suffer any losses but at present we are in need of doctors at the hospital too.”

He added that the residents can prepare for their examinations while managing their duties too.