Thiruvananthapuram: With shortage of doctors and delay in PSC appointments badly affecting medical education and health services sector in the state, a cross section of health experts have suggested setting up of Medical Recruitment Board (MRB) on the lines of neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
The new State Health Policy has also emphasised on recruitment board exclusively for the health services to bring all recruitment under one roof.
Planning Board member B Ekbal said it was high time the state government considered the proposal for recruitment board. Such a separate body would help avoid the existing delay in PSC recruitments, he added.
Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA), which represents health service doctors, says recruitment board is the need of the hour.
"At the moment after MBBS and registration, one has to wait for notification for PSC exams. After taking exams, the preliminary list is put up. Then the candidate is called for interview and subsequently final rank list is prepared in a couple of years. The whole process takes three to five years and this long wait can be avoided by direct recruitment through medical board," said Dr K.A. Raoof, general secretary KGMOA.
He said the proposed recruitment board should be an independent autonomous body like PSC and should not give any room for malpractice.
According to Dr R Jayaprakash, additional professor Paediatrics SAT Hospital, MRB would help in streamlining the entire recruitment process. "It will be a more transparent and effective system to address recruitment issues," he said.
Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association (KGMCTA) has welcomed the proposal for medical recruitment board.
"We are looking forward to the board. The PSC recruitments are getting delayed because of several reasons. It will help us avoid delay in appointments mainly in the entry cadre," said KGMCTA state President Kavitha Ravi.
Medical recruitment board was established in Tamil Nadu in 2012. There are 200 categories of posts, all direct recruitnment pots, which now are under the purview of MRB.
The MRB has ensured speedy filling up of vacant posts besides time bound appointments commensurate with the requirement in each institution in that state.
