LARKANA, July 16: The Chandka Medical College (CMC) Larkana faces acute shortage of staff almost in all departments. The issue of ‘incomplete faculty’ always drew criticism at meetings of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC), sources in the CMC told ‘Dawn’ here on Monday.

Instead of fulfilling requirements of the college, recently four demonstrators from the CMC Larkana had been transferred to the Ghulam Muhammed Medical College Sukkur (GMMCS). The college faced shortage of staff, both in terms of the PM&DC’s requirement and the sanctioned strength by Sindh government. Delay in recruitment by the Sindh government was aggravating the situation, the sources said.

As per the PM&DC’s requirement for a medical college of 201-300 beds was: 53 professors; 67 associate professors; 75 assistant professors; 51 senior registrar; and 141 demonstrators. While positions lying vacant were 39 professors; 48 associate professors; 15 assistant professors; 34 senior registrars; and 107 demonstrators.

Shortage in terms of the ‘sanctioned strength’ was 22 professors; 27 associate; 50 assistant professors; 23 senior registrars; 34 senior demonstrators; 38 demonstrators, 4 lecturers; and one health education officer. The strength at present was 14 professors; 19 associate professors; 60 assistant professors; 17 senior registrars; 23 senior demonstrators; 34 demonstrators; and 2 lecturers.

In terms of sanctioned strength there were still 35 vacancies in different grades which the Sindh government had to fill and in the light of the PM&DC’s requirement there were 245 vacancies in the CMC Larkana, said the sources.

Few months back the college managers sent a letter to the Sindh health minister explaining that out of seven departments of basic medical sciences five were running without professors and none of the seven departments had any associate professors on regular basis. The only professor working in the department of anatomy would retire by the end of the year and majority of associate and assistant professors, on both clinical and basic sides, were working on ‘adjustment/own pay and scale’ basis.

The college was also facing problem in ministerial and supportive staff. In non-gazzetted position from grade 1 to 16 there were 347 sanctioned posts with only 210 working with 77 posts lying vacant. On gazzetted side from 17 to 20 grades, the sanctioned number of posts was 21 but only 187 were working with the vacancy of 35 posts.

The immediate need to address this serious issue is recruitment through the Public Service Commission and regularisation of eligible teaching faculty members and rapid promotions from 18 to 19 and 19 to 20 grades, the sources concerned with the issue told ‘Dawn’. If this issue was sidelined or ignored it would again provide an excuse to the PM&DC for the ‘de-recognition’ of the college. However the PM&DC had recognised the CMC Larkana in June this year concluded the sources.