Hyderabad: The lone professor of ophthalmology at Gandhi Hospital is find it difficult to handle the department. There were six professors and five of them retired in the last seven years.
According to MCI rules, each professor must guide two PG students and evaluate their thesis. Every year, they have to monitor six students. With the number of seats increased to 12 in ophthalmology, all the students are attached with the lone professor.
A senior doctor said, “The professor has to monitor 36 students which is very difficult. They must be guided in their research, thesis and also the submission of papers. It is too much of a burden and quality suffers.”
A similar case exists in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and general medicine in all the government medical colleges. Osmania Medical College principal Dr B. Prabhakar said, “There is a shortage but it is not a panic situation. Presently, it is only 6 per cent and the government is closely monitoring the situation.”
According to sources, the Medical Council of India has been apprised of the situation. The council has said that the vacant posts must be filled, or it could lead to cancellation of seats.
PG students monitor junior doctors
With 90 per cent of patients being treated by PG doctors and a handful of professors monitoring them, surgical skills are affected. Junior doctors say they are mentored by PG doctors who are also not very experienced.
Bedside teaching is very important. Professors would have spent 10 years in their practice and submitted four research papers, and their experience and skill counts.
A senior doctor explained, “Due to lack of sufficient faculty, the professors have to divide the work between PG students who take the maximum burden. In complicated cases, the skill is limited and the student is still at the learning stage.”
In some cases, patients are leaving the hospitals on being told that there are not enough doctors. Most elective surgeries are planned to ensure that the professor is near the operating table to monitor while the actual surgery is done by PGs.
A junior doctor said, “This is how the departments are being handled but they won’t be able to bear the pressure for long. The government must act and put the system in order.”
