Sher-e-Bangla Medical College in sorry state

Academic activities at Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College (SBMC) is being greatly hampered as posts of about sixty teachers and technicians including those of principal and vice-principal are vacant for long.

Against 150 posts there are now 92 teachers including professors, associated professors, assistant professors, lecturers and technicians.

The post of principal is vacant since January and that of vice-principal for about a year now, sources at the college said.

There are only 24 associate professors against 35 posts and 37 assistant professors against 41 posts.

Most of them are working on 'current duty' basis.

There is no professor in the Anatomy, Physiology, Bio-Chemistry, Pathology, Surgery, Medicine, Radiology and Radiotherapy departments.

Plastic Surgery and Nephrology departments have no teacher. The only post of professor at the Plastic Surgery department is vacant since July 2000. The only associate professor at the Plastic Surgery department went to Japan for higher training in February this year.

In the Community Medicine department, one associate professor is on 'current duty' of a professor and one assistant professor is on 'current duty' of an associate professor.

Both of the posts of professor in the Medicine department are vacant after retirement of a professor in January. One associated professor is in charge of professor and two others are on 'current duty' in this department.

In Pediatric department, one associate professor is on duty of a professor. Two of the three assistant professors are also on 'current duty'.

The posts of a professor, an associate professor and two assistant professors are filled up on 'current duty' basis in Microbiology Department.

In Pathology department, posts of one professor, one associate professor and one assistant professor are also filled up on 'current duty' basis.

Situations in Cardiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Pscycriatic, Eye, ENT, Gynecoogy and Pediatric Srugery departments are also the same.

Seven posts of lecturers against eight sanctioned for Anatomy, one against five for Physiology, three against four for Biochemistry, three against four for Pharmacology, four against five for Pathlogy, two against five for Micro-Biology and one post of lecturer against three for Community Medicine are also vacant.

Posts of medical officers are also vacant in Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Forensic Medicine and Microbiology departments.

When contacted, SBMC authorities said repeated appeals were made to the government to fill up the posts, but to no effect.