Anantnag: Several doctors appointed to teach at the newly established Government Medical College (GMC) in Anantnag have been serving in peripheral hospitals for last more than twenty years with no teaching experience whatsoever.
Ironically, these doctors have been made the Heads of their respective departments and are entrusted with not only teaching but also overseeing the working of other teachers as well.
The college has recently inducted the first batch of their students after a clearance from the Medical Council of India (MCI), which had remained pending for a while due to non-availability of teaching and non-teaching staff at the college.
Sources told Kashmir Reader that the appointments were made in haste without keeping in consideration that the doctors appointed to teach were not well versed with teaching.
“For example, the doctor appointed to teach surgery at the hospital has been serving as an A-Grade surgeon at Anantnag district hospital for the last more than 20 years. What does he know about teaching surgery? How can he tell students about the latest techniques in surgery which he has himself not come across for the simple fact that they are available only in tertiary care hospitals?” a source at the college asked.
Similar appointments have been made in Medicine, Paediatrics, dermatology and some other departments.
“The doctor heading medicine has never served in a tertiary care hospital for the last twenty years, leave alone having any teaching experience. Same is the case with the ones heading Pediatrics and dermatology. How the students are going to suffer is anybody’s guess,” the sources added.
Principal GMC Anantnag, Dr Showkat Jeelani acknowledged the shortcomings of the teachers appointed.
“I know they have no teaching experience but then there was a shortage of staff and the MCI gave one-time relaxation in the norms for appointments,” Jeelani said.
He added that the doctors will be sent to training programmes, if needed, to get them acquainted with the curriculum and teaching techniques.

Suhail A Shah