Government medical faculty in Telangana complain over poor pay, staff crunch
Doctors said they had hoped for improved working conditions, but now feel overlooked, demotivated, and undervalued. Their key concerns include excessive interference and micromanagement by district authorities, unequal pay structures, inadequate infrastructure, and severe staff shortages in government medical colleges.
A senior faculty member stated that many doctors are losing motivation due to mistreatment by political figures and higher authorities, which is not only demeaning but also affecting patient care and academics.
Dr Kiran Madhala, secretary general of the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association, told TNIE, 'There is a growing sense of disillusionment among teaching faculty. Many of us joined with a sense of purpose, but years of neglect have left us demotivated. Despite repeated appeals, no concrete action has been taken.'
He added that while the number of medical colleges has increased, most remain severely understaffed, with the burden falling on existing faculty — something the administration continues to ignore.
Doctors also highlighted other critical issues such as no incentives or promotions for those serving in under-resourced districts, no DME-level promotions despite repeated requests, leading to career stagnation, lack of a transparent or responsive mechanism to communicate with DME or health secretariat and decline in academic standards at top institutions like Osmania, Gandhi and Kakatiya medical colleges due to years of neglect.
Adding to their concerns, the state health department's plan to introduce geo-tagged, face-based Aadhaar authentication for faculty attendance has sparked outrage.
While the National Medical Commission has mandated face-based Aadhaar authentication for faculty attendance from May 1, doctors argue that geo-tagging infringes on privacy.
Dr Kiran Bollepaka, TTGDA president, noted that while face-based systems are similar to existing biometric attendance, 'geo-tagging is a breach of privacy. There are better ways to ensure accountability without excessive scrutiny,' he said.
Aadhaar-based face authentication soon
All government health centres will soon implement face-based Aadhaar authentication to ensure staff regularity and accountability. DoPH Ravinder Naik stated that PHCs, UPHCs and basti dawakhanas will adopt the system soon
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