Demand for filling GDMO posts gets louder

Hyderabad: Following government's move to serve show-cause notices to 134 doctors for unauthorised absence from work for last several months in various Area and District Hospitals and also CHCs (Community Health Centres) across the State, the doctors' fraternity has demanded appointment of General Duty Medical Officers (GDMOs) in these hospitals to spare specialist doctors from general duties.

The GDMOs, to be recruited with MBBS qualification, will have to examine patients and then direct them to specialist doctors concerned for treatment.

Also, the MBBS doctors can be posted in casualty wards and thus ensuring that specialist doctors are spared from examining after medical cases that do not come under their purview.

" At present specialists, be it gynaecologists, orthopaedics, general surgeons, anaesthesiologists etc are made to work in casualty wards and also assigned night duties in the absence of GDMOs in the 100-odd District and Area Hospitals, besides CHCs.

This had led to dissatisfaction at work and hence more than 100 doctors chose to leave the government job," a doctor said, stressing on need for creation of more GDMO posts in TVVP hospitals as soon as possible.

It may be mentioned here that authorities took up the recruitment process for 91 GDMO posts for which the provisional merit list was also prepared six months ago, but the process still remained pending.

The Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA) also took up this issue with Principal Secretary (Medical and Health) A Shanti Kumari on Tuesday.

It urged the Principal Secretary to ensure appointment of 91 GDMOs at the earliest.

Also, the doctors' association wanted the creation of more GDMO posts to cater to 24 x7 emergency duties in CHCs, Area and District Hospitals and thus facilitating specialist doctors to provide services to patients in specialised areas of medicine.

HRDA President Dr K Mahesh Kumar requested the government to expedite the GDMOs recruitment and fill 91 posts as the process was kept pending.