Jaipur: The Rajasthan Medical College Teachers Association (RMCTA) Saturday opposed the state govt’s decision to allow lateral entry of medical officers into professor and associate professor posts at RUHS Hospital, saying the move would dilute academic standards and compromise the quality of medical education and research at the proposed Rajasthan Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).The opposition comes after the medical education department, through an order issued on June 24, constituted a screening committee to fill vacant faculty positions at RUHS Hospital, Jaipur. Under the new provisions, principal specialists and senior specialists serving as medical officers in the health department will be eligible for screening for professor and associate professor posts, alongside medical teachers from government medical colleges.RMCTA argued that the decision contradicts the government’s stated vision of developing RIMS on the lines of AIIMS with advanced patient care, quality teaching and world-class research.RMCTA president Dr Dheeraj Jeff said opposition to the proposal had begun across government medical colleges in Rajasthan. He said office-bearers of RMCTA units met through video conferencing under the Joint Action Committee Saturday to discuss the issue.According to the association, members unanimously opposed appointing medical officers directly to senior faculty positions based primarily on service experience. It maintained that professors and associate professors must possess academic qualifications, teaching experience and research exposure, particularly in institutions expected to provide specialised care and high-quality medical education.The association warned that such appointments could undermine the credibility of medical education, weaken research standards and affect the academic reputation of the proposed RIMS. It also said the move would reduce career opportunities for young doctors and adversely impact their morale.RMCTA demanded that faculty appointments continue through prescribed academic qualifications and transparent recruitment processes, such as those followed by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission, and urged the chief minister and the health and medical education minister to immediately withdraw the screening committee for lateral entry.
