In-service quota for PG medical courses in Andhra Pradesh limited to requirement of specialists, says top health official

In-service quota for PG medical courses in Andhra Pradesh limited to requirement of specialists, says top health official. G.O. 85 is based on the recommendations of a high-level committee, which made a detailed study and arrived at the number of specialists needed in the government health institutions, says M.T. Krishna Babu, Special Chief Secretary (Medical and Health).

The Government of Andhra Pradesh has clarified that G.O. No. 85, which reduces the reservation for in-service doctors wanting to pursue PG courses in government medical colleges, is based on the recommendations of a high-level committee.

The committee comprises the Director of Medical Education, the Director of Health and Family Welfare, the Director of Secondary Health, and the Registrar of NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada. The Director of Public Health is its member-convener.

Government doctors are protesting against the G.O. fearing that it will discourage the MBBS graduates from joining government service, and deny them opportunities for higher education.

The committee had made a detailed study of the existing vacancies of specialists in the secondary and tertiary health institutions, taking into account the vacancies arising due to establishment of new medical colleges, promotions, retirements, etc., and arrived at the requirement of specialists in the government health institutions, Special Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) M.T. Krishna Babu told reporters on September 13 (Friday).

The committee had recommended a reduction of in-service PG reservation to 15% from the existing 30% in the clinical specialities such as General Medicine, General Surgery, Gynecology, Paediatrics, Anaesthesia and Emergency Medicine, and to 30% from the earlier 50% in the non-clinical specialities, Mr. Krishna Babu said.

“The committee has observed that the in-service doctors, on completion of their PG course in certain specialities, cannot be accommodated in view of lack of vacancies. Similarly, there are fewer vacancies in other specialities too. This will create a serious problem as they cannot be posted in any health institution,” he said.

It was also observed that more specialists were available in the State following an increase in the number of PG seats in the government and private medical colleges. The PG seats had risen from 1,231 in 2014-15 (907 clinical, 324 non-clinical) to 3,225 in 2023-24 (2,554 clinical and 671 non-clinical seats).