Pune: The state govt has reduced the sanctioned strength of faculty posts in preventive and social medicine (community medicine) departments across govt medical colleges by 27, bringing the total down from 309 to 282.A govt resolution (GR) issued on Aug 25 stated that students pursuing postgraduate medical education in govt medical colleges bear the responsibility of both teaching and treating patients. Following the establishment of several new govt medical colleges in the state, a revised staffing pattern was announced to comply with the new regulations of the National Medical Commission (NMC).While 27 posts, including professors, associate professors, and assistant professors, have been cut from the existing approved strength in older colleges to meet NMC standards, 18 new posts have been added to newer medical colleges across the state. These 18 new positions will be filled by faculty members reallocated from the 27 withdrawn posts.Dr Dilip Mhaisekar, former director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research, said, “Under the previous policy, a higher number of posts was sanctioned. These have now been reallocated due to the National Medical Commission’s new regulations. This is a positive step that will not impact the quality of teaching or patient care. Reallocating these posts to locations facing a shortage will help facilitate better medical education in those areas.”There are currently 38 govt medical colleges in the state. Commission norms mandate that the number of teaching posts must align strictly with the intake capacity for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Previously, some colleges had faculty numbers exceeding these norms, while others faced significant shortages.The GR clarified that certain older colleges in the state had sanctioned posts in excess of the revised regulations, whereas newer colleges had fewer than required. Consequently, posts exceeding the standard norms have been either cancelled or transferred to colleges where there was an urgent need.
