Acting Professors Promoted Over Associate Professors At Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Gandhi Medical College (GMC) has promoted acting professors as full-fledged professors while allegedly overlooking eligible associate professors, triggering discontent among faculty members. Associate professors from prominent departments such as cardiology, oncology and endocrinology have allegedly been denied promotion.

According to doctors, associate professors who were to be promoted for the formation of super speciality departments at GMC have been denied promotions. They said that if promotions continue to be denied in this manner, super speciality departments will not be formed as the posts have to be filled through promotions.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) stipulates three years' experience as the eligibility criterion, but GMC has made five years' experience a condition. The GMC administration also considered the confidential report (CR) of the head of department (HoD) while granting promotions.

Doctors and representatives of the Junior Doctors' Association (JUDA) alleged that eligible associate professors were overlooked in the promotion exercise despite meeting the National Medical Commission (NMC) norms.

Endocrinologist Dr Manuj Sharma, associate professor, said, "Associate professors from four to five departments, including oncology, cardiology and endocrinology, have been deprived of promotions. In addition to the NMC criterion, the health department's report is also taken into consideration for promotion. I have been an associate professor since 2018."

JUDA president Dr Mahendra Singh, a resident doctor, said, "After 20 years, promotions have been made. Acting professors like Surendra Raikwar and Dr Sabiha Sultana, a senior obstetrician and gynaecologist, were given priority. After Dr Aruna Kumar, she was made acting professor and HoD of Gynaecology, and now she has been made a professor. Such acting professors were given priority instead of promoting associate professors."