Thiruvananthapuram: The health department has launched a special human resources (HR) cell to prepare the seniority list of doctors and ensure that promotions are granted on time, health minister K Muraleedharan said.The move comes amid concerns that delays in promotions have affected the timely filling of vacancies in the department, resulting in a shortage of doctors and difficulties for patients. Doctors had also faced prolonged delays in receiving promotions due to pending files and procedural delays.The minister said the special cell was formed to address these issues and meet a long-standing demand of doctors for a systematic mechanism to prepare seniority lists and process promotions. The cell will function under of Dr Anil V, deputy director in-charge of medical and hospital administration at the directorate of health services, and Dr Vineeth V R, junior administrative medical officer in the planning division. It will coordinate with various sections of the health department to expedite the process.The minister said the cell would handle seniority and promotion-related matters concerning doctors in the specialist, general and administrative cadres.Govt aims to complete all pending seniority and promotion-related matters by Dec and ensure that eligible doctors receive promotions without further delay, Muraleedharan said. The initiative is also expected to facilitate the timely filling of vacancies arising in the department and improve the availability of doctors in govt healthcare institutions.
