Staff shortage fettering Karnataka's medical colleges, say experts

Bengaluru: In Karnataka's medical colleges, especially those in smaller towns, one issue continues to crop up — no one wants to go there to teach. Despite these colleges having well-equipped classrooms and digital tools, doctors say learning suffers because of staff shortage.
The concern was echoed strongly at a recent medical education conference in Bengaluru, where doctors, educators, and students spoke candidly about the state of medical colleges — both govt and private. "In the past 25 years, there has been a boom in the number of medical colleges, but a lack of adequate teaching faculty," said Dr Ramesh S Bilimagga, senior radiation oncologist at HCG hospital.
Naveen Thimmaiah, director of Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, chimed in: "Karnataka is currently in a phase where many medical colleges are just set up, one in nearly every district.
There are classrooms, but there are teething issues when it comes to getting teachers to show up and teach regularly. This is especially true in the far-off districts of Karnataka. If you ask how many of us are willing to go to a tier 2 city and teach, most will say it's not possible.
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Their concerns were mirrored by the National Medical Commission (NMC), which has issued show-cause notices to 22 govt medical colleges across the state this month, citing faculty shortage and inadequate infrastructure.
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Lack of research bend
While faculty shortage plagues medical education on the one hand, lack of research is another concern. Dr Nagesh, syndicate member of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), said there aren't enough researchers among faculty members because too many medical colleges were opened too quickly. "In the last 25 years, in the speed of making healthcare accessible to everybody, we unscientifically increased the number of seats and colleges to cover the country's clinical needs with primary and secondary healthcare.
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He said teachers trained in this period often lack research grounding. At a recent RGUHS syndicate meeting, Rs 60 lakh in research funding was offered to researchers (faculty). While many expressed interest, most didn't meet the basic criteria — such as having a publication in an indexed journal and an H-index of at least five. "Except for pharmacologists, no one qualified," Dr Nagesh said, adding that it's time to start nurturing teachers with a strong research mindset.
Earlier, he noted, funding was a challenge. "Now, we have the money — it's time to act."
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Matter of policy
Responding to NMC notices, Dr Sujatha Rathod, director of medical education, told TOI that recruitment delays are linked to policy matters. "The hiring of senior residents and assistant professors was delayed by internal reservation determination. Till then, staff recruitments are being allowed through contract," she said.

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