Bombay High Court demands growth policy, or will summon BMC chief

In a last ditch measure, the Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to come out with an assured growth policy for medical faculty at its hospital. It has added the caveat the if the civic body fails to do so, it will have to summon the municipal commissioner and the Director of Health Services before it.

A division bench of Justice Shantanu Kemkar and Justice MS Karnik, while hearing a petition filed by Medical Professors Welfare Association, said "The corporation has been delaying the issue for a long time, previous orders haven't been implemented. If, on the next date of hearing, the draft policy is not submitted, we will call the BMC Commissioner to court and seek a reply from him."

The policy is to avoid the stagnation of medical faculty at institutes run by it and assure promotion on the basis of their efficiency and functionality, not just when there is a vacancy.

The association claims that an 'Assistant' professor becomes eligible for promotion to 'Associate' professor after he puts in nine years of service. Similarly, to be elevated to professor, one has to put in four more years of service. However, these promotions have not been given since 2007 on account of the institutions doling them out only when a vacancy arises. Therefore, doctors holding degrees of MS, MCH continue to be counted in the cadre of associate professors.

"Moreover, the corporation has deprived, demoralised and humiliated its faculty of teaching doctors by not giving them promotional designation," the plea states.

Additionally, the balance of promotions is off-kilter in departments like surgery, cardiology, pathology, microbiology, neurology psychiatry, orthopaedics and pharmcology, among others, so candidates in departments that promote regularly have now risen ahead of associate professors languishing in these departments. The court will hear the plea on June 13.