A Medical Council of India (MCI) proposal to raise the maximum age set for retirement of the medical teachers’ fraternity in India to 75 years is being challenged by various quarters in Maharashtra where the retirement age has been raised to 64 years against the existing limit of 70.
The proposal made in Delhi to address shortage of faculty—there are 398 medical colleges in the country that together account for over 52,000 MBBS seats— has already opened a debate on the pros and cons of the move and the MCI has invited feedback. One of the main reasons being put forward to oppose the move is that it would stymie the movement of young and deserving junior doctors up the seniority rung.
Dr Kishore Taori, chairman of the Teacher Eligibility and Qualification Committee of the MCI told The Indian Express that there was an increasing demand from states like Kerala to start new medical colleges, which would further increase the demand for teachers.
The issue of increasing retirement age limit cropped up in a meeting of the MCI in Delhi. As per MCI norms, the maximum possible retirement age of a medical education teacher is 70 years. No state can exceed this bar. MCI authorities say that in the 398 medical colleges across the country, there are more than 52,000 MBBS seats and to maintain the teacher-student ratio, state governments often increase the retirement age within the prescribed limit.
Taori said the MCI was open to suggestions from the state medical education departments. “We do not want to put a stop to promotion of young colleagues, but there is a need to address shortage of faculty in colleges,” Taori said.
The proposal has not gone down well with the Maharashtra Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) in Pune.
Dr Pravin Shingare, Director of the DMER told The Indian Express that there was at least 20 per cent shortage of staff across government medical colleges in Maharashtra. In the state, the retirement age of teachers has been raised to 64 years. “We are conducting a special drive to fill up vacant posts of teachers,” Shingare said.
Despite DMER’s reluctance, experts and former deans of government medical colleges spontaneously agreed that retirement age should be raised. According to Dr M A Phadke, former Dean of B J Medical College in Pune and former Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), “If teachers have the capacity, zest and mental stamina to teach, they should be allowed to continue teaching. Raising retirement age should, however, not come in the way of promotion of young junior doctors,” Phadke said.
She said that earlier, it was the duty of senior doctors to guide the young medical community overlooking monetary considerations. “Our teachers gave hands-on training and showed young doctors to correctly diagnose the patient without looking at the patient with commercial interest alone,” she said.
Dr Sharad Agharkhedkar, Vice President of the Indian Medical Association (Maharashtra) is strongly in favour of raising the retirement age and said it would not pose any threat to young doctors movement up the ladder. He said, Teachers are in perennial demand so why not allow senior and experienced teachers to guide students?
Other experts like Dr Arun Jamkar, the Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, said that increasing the retirement age could be frustrating for young doctors. Promotions should not be blocked. The middle path is to involve the senior lot in non-administrative capacity, he said.
The proposal made in Delhi to address shortage of faculty—there are 398 medical colleges in the country that together account for over 52,000 MBBS seats— has already opened a debate on the pros and cons of the move and the MCI has invited feedback. One of the main reasons being put forward to oppose the move is that it would stymie the movement of young and deserving junior doctors up the seniority rung.
Dr Kishore Taori, chairman of the Teacher Eligibility and Qualification Committee of the MCI told The Indian Express that there was an increasing demand from states like Kerala to start new medical colleges, which would further increase the demand for teachers.
The issue of increasing retirement age limit cropped up in a meeting of the MCI in Delhi. As per MCI norms, the maximum possible retirement age of a medical education teacher is 70 years. No state can exceed this bar. MCI authorities say that in the 398 medical colleges across the country, there are more than 52,000 MBBS seats and to maintain the teacher-student ratio, state governments often increase the retirement age within the prescribed limit.
Taori said the MCI was open to suggestions from the state medical education departments. “We do not want to put a stop to promotion of young colleagues, but there is a need to address shortage of faculty in colleges,” Taori said.
The proposal has not gone down well with the Maharashtra Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) in Pune.
Dr Pravin Shingare, Director of the DMER told The Indian Express that there was at least 20 per cent shortage of staff across government medical colleges in Maharashtra. In the state, the retirement age of teachers has been raised to 64 years. “We are conducting a special drive to fill up vacant posts of teachers,” Shingare said.
Despite DMER’s reluctance, experts and former deans of government medical colleges spontaneously agreed that retirement age should be raised. According to Dr M A Phadke, former Dean of B J Medical College in Pune and former Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), “If teachers have the capacity, zest and mental stamina to teach, they should be allowed to continue teaching. Raising retirement age should, however, not come in the way of promotion of young junior doctors,” Phadke said.
She said that earlier, it was the duty of senior doctors to guide the young medical community overlooking monetary considerations. “Our teachers gave hands-on training and showed young doctors to correctly diagnose the patient without looking at the patient with commercial interest alone,” she said.
Dr Sharad Agharkhedkar, Vice President of the Indian Medical Association (Maharashtra) is strongly in favour of raising the retirement age and said it would not pose any threat to young doctors movement up the ladder. He said, Teachers are in perennial demand so why not allow senior and experienced teachers to guide students?
Other experts like Dr Arun Jamkar, the Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, said that increasing the retirement age could be frustrating for young doctors. Promotions should not be blocked. The middle path is to involve the senior lot in non-administrative capacity, he said.
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