JNIMS Dental College students protest JR post slash
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, April 04 2023:
Students of JNIMS Dental College carried out protest against reducing the number of sanctioned posts for paid Junior Residents (JR) and demanded the authority concerned to appoint students who have passed out from the College instead of reducing the number of the sanctioned posts.
Meanwhile, JNIMS director Professor L Deben raised suspicions that the students might be instigated by some senior doctors of JNIMS Dental College who are associated with private dental clinics, so as to ease work pressure.
He then said that the students who have completed their internship at the Dental College are no longer related with JNIMS, while stating that the protest is unreasonable.
On Tuesday morning, students of JNIMS Dental College staged a sit-in protest in front of Dental OPD, demanding not to reduce the number of sanctioned post of JR to four from 13 and to appoint the students of the college to the posts on merit basis.
The protest came to an end after the director objected.
Speaking on the sidelines, one of the protesting students informed that the total sanctioned posts for JR at JNIMS is 13 .
Before JNIMS Dental College started producing students, the posts were recruited from outside.
Since 2021, the result for the JR post had not been declared and the College has been without JR for two years.
As the College will be recruiting paid JR this time around, the student urged for reserving the posts for students who have passed out from the college.
Acting on merit basis, those from rank 1-13 and rank 14-26 could be engaged for a period of 6 months each.
The number of JR post was increased to 13 by a cabinet decision in 2018.However, there are reports that the posts will be reduced to four again.
As such, the student urged for fixing the number of JR posts to 13.In this regard, Prof L Deben said that the protesting students belong to the first batch of the Dental College.
All 32 students completed their internship on March 6 and are now doctors.
They are no longer related with JNIMS and as such, it is unfortunate to see them misguiding the current students including interns of the Dental College because of their self-interests.
Informing that the Dental College previously had 13 sanctioned JR posts, the director recounted that as the College did not have students at the time, the JRs were engaged from outside and paid Rs 40,000 .
In 2021, process was initiated for recruitment of JR but the results were delayed indefinitely.
As the students who are currently doing internship at the College have practical for their course-work, they assist in providing treatment to the 40-50 patients who visit the College on a day.
On top of this, there are a total of 45 doctors in the college including professors, associates, assistants and SRs.
The doctors along with 50-something interns treat around 45 patients on a daily basis.
However, there is no fixed rule that there should be JRs in the College, he said.
The director continued that if JRs are appointed, they would have to be given salary.
Since this would incur expenses, the permission of the government is needed.
If the JRs want to serve the people and assist the college without getting paid as part of gaining experience, then there is no issue.
Aside from this, it is condemnable of the 32 passed-out students to involve the current students of the College in an unreasonable protest.
Raising suspicions that the passed-out students of the first batch may have been instigated by some senior doctors; Prof Deben said that the senior doctors have private dental clinics of their own.
After the JRs are appointed, the senior doctors might be planning to send them to work at their clinics and as such, are manipulating the students to raise the demands for JR posts.
As per the rules, doctors are supposed to be on duty from 9 am to 5 pm.
But there are instances of doctors leaving after pressing the biometrics, he said, while stating that the Institute is trying to investigate those working in violation of the guidelines.
The director further said that the patient flow at RIMS is much higher than JNIMS but the Dental College of RIMS has only four JRs.
Thus, the government has been requested in writing to keep four JR posts in JNIMS just like in RIMS, he informed, while adding that the same is currently being processed.