Over 30% staff on contract, BMC hosps in a constant state of flux

The teeming civic-run medical colleges and hospitals are increasingly finding themselves embroiled in a debate: heavy reliance on contractual staff. Several fulltime doctors have started voicing concerns over the implications for patient care and institutional stability with the share of contractual doctor-cum-teachers crossing well above 30%.
The four medical and one dental college (KEM, Sion, Nair, Cooper and Nair Dental) collectively have nearly 1,550 permanent teaching positions.However, nearly 54% of these posts are vacant. The cadre most hit is of lecturers, also called assistant professors, where almost 500 out of the 771 sanctioned posts (65%) are vacant. A lot of these positions are currently filled up by contractual doctors. With BMC showing no signs of holding recruitment drives and the election code of conduct prolonging the process, frustration is growing.
“The level of accountability and sincerity that is required in providing consistent and reliable care is often missing from a lot of the contractual staffers,” said a senior Sion Hospital professor, who added that it was surprising that the top authorities are not bothered about this crucial gap. “Medical profession is different from others. While the contractual doctors may possess the necessary skills, their transient status undermines their dedication to the long-term,” the doctor believed.
Another surgeon from Nair Hospital said there is a heavy turnover in certain departments, such as anaesthesia. “It is one of the specialties most in demand and doctors are hard to find. We have a lot of doctors joining and leaving in quick succession,” he said. The doctor added that contractual staffers can leave their positions with as little as 24 hours’ notice. “Although rare, it disrupts the workflow and places a strain on the few permanent staff,” said the doctor. However, he said the fault lies with BMC that has failed to hold timely recruitment drives through Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).
A nursing head thinks their temporary nature means contractual staffers may not have the same investment in the hospital’s values as the permanent staffers. “At the same time, many temporary staffers have been working with us for years and they are 100% devoted and should be regularised,” she said.
Dr Sangeeta Rawat, dean of KEM Hospital, said while hospitals do rely a lot on contractual staffers, many have been with BMC for years. “Many have stuck around hoping to get regularised, and also because they like their job,” she said.
BMC also faces a continual drain of trained and talented doctors to both the private sector and the state govt. Dr Rajesh Dere, head of forensic medicine at Sion Hospital, said they recently lost four to five doctors to state hospitals following recent large-scale recruitment drives. As a member of the Maharashtra State Medical Teachers Association, Dere said permanent positions are attractive to anyone in the field.
Dr Neelam Andrade, director of major hospitals, said they had completed the reservation checks that need to be carried out at the level of individual colleges before seeking an approval from the state govt. Following approval, the requisition is placed with MPSC. Additionally, checks regarding eligibility for the disability quota have also been done. “However, due to the new decision regarding Maratha reservation, some steps may have to be repeated,” she added.