Panaji, Aug 11 (TOI): The public health department (PHD) has proposed the creation of around 3,000 posts including those of doctors, nursing staff, paramedics and clerical staff in view of the state’s hospitals’ present and future requirements.
A senior state government official said that the proposal has been received, and though no decision has been made yet, it won’t be approved in toto. Also, the recruitment of staff on a large scale — as proposed by the PHD — will have huge financial implications which have to be calculated before sanctioning the new posts, he said.
A source in the government said that the PHD’s estimated requirement for additional posts at the Goa medical college (GMC), Bambolim, is 1,218.
This comprises a wide ranges of post including gazetted officers like professors, assistant professors, lecturers, clinical pathologists, clinical psychologists, sleep technologists, etc. It also includes 17 medical officers, 66 senior residents and 25 junior residents.
The PHD has also proposed the creation of posts such as medical record clerk (51), data entry operator (14), etc, and over 60 posts for technical work like occupational therapists, physiotherapists, senior technicians, anaesthetic assistants, etc.
A senior official said that the government has been grappling with problems in filling vacant posts of doctors and consultants in district hospitals and GMC.
However, the past few years have seen the hospital engage some highly-skilled superspecialists as doctors and consultants.
“Therw wouldn’t be any problem in recruiting technical and clerical staff,” the official said. “However, the big question is does the government need to recruit staff in these numbers.” He said that the estimate of manpower requirement, especially that of technical and clerical staff, would have to be more realistic and in tune with actual requirement.
Meanwhile, sources say that the GMC would require additional manpower when its superspeciality block and cancer centre are ready. “The provision for that will have to start early, so that once it is ready for commissioning, there are sufficient doctors and staff,” an official said. For these blocks, the PHD has proposed 1,345 posts.