By: Ahmad Shabir
Anantnag: At Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag, it is doctors versus doctors since the day the institution has started functioning.
From last one week the divide has widened. The divide between the doctors can be guessed from the fact that medicos from Health Department and ones from Health and Medical Education (HME) have formed two associations in the same hospital.
The first association named Medical Faculty Association (MFA), GMC Anantnag was formed last by the doctors recruited as assistant professors by the HME.
Sources in the college said that the formation of association by the doctors from HME did not go well with the doctors from Health Department for the reasons that the former did not include even the single senior most doctor.
However, a few days back , the doctors and para-medics from Health Department posted the Medical College also came up with a separate association and named it as health employees association GMC hospital Anantnag to fight what they termed as “ill treatment” on part of GMC authorities and some top doctors from HME working in the medical college.
Spokesperson of the Health Employees Association GMC Anantnag, Dr Owais H Dar said that doctors from DHSK working in the medical college are being ignored and ill treated by both the GMC authorities including some top doctors from HME.
“To fight this ill treatment we decided to come up with a separate association. Despite working tirelessly even the seniors doctors from Health Department working in the Medical College are being completely ignored and looked down upon,” Dr Owais said.
He cited the example of the recently held hospital council meeting by the GMC authorities in which not a single doctor from the Health Department, not even senior consultants were invited.
HEAGMC Anantnag Dr Owais said, will soon show its strength to convey a message to the GMC authorities.
The GMC Anantnag is jointly run by the doctors from HME and DHSK. More than 50 percent of doctors working in the hospital, according to officials, are from Health Department while as almost all the para-medical staff working in the GMC associated hospital is also from Health Department.
General secretary of the association and a senior dental surgeon, Dr Adil Wani seconded Dr Owais saying ,”Doctors from Health Department working in the medical college hospital are being ignored to the hilt,”.
“Even A grade consultants from Health Department working in the hospital for ten years are not taken into confidence by the GMC authorities,” Dr Wani said.
“Not all are same. There are some HODs who posses healing touch. They treat everyone equally but there are others who consider themselves as supreme. Though this was going on in the hospital since the day one but now enough is enough. We are not going to tolerate this anymore,” Dr Wani said.
He said that doctors from Health Department during of peak of COVID-19 last year were even denied their earned leaves and APs were allowed to go on vacations. “Is not this discrimination?” he questioned.
Principal, GMC , Anantnag, Dr Showkat Jeelani said that there is nothing wrong in forming an association but denied that there is any discrimination against any doctors.
He, however , said that if they have any issues or grievances they should convey it through their seniors.
