Mangaluru : Minister for Health and Family Welfare, U.T. Khader on Monday said the department would be streamlining the recruitment procedure.

While doctors would be recruited twice this year, he would keep a system in place where the recruitment has to be done every year thereafter.

Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Khader said the government has permitted both recruitment options — direct or through Karnataka Public Service Commission. The department is yet to take a final call on the method. The department requires nearly one thousand postgraduate doctors among other medical doctors this year.

Since the department is unlikely to get as many candidates as it needed, the recruitment would be done twice this year, he said. Though the department was empowered to make regular recruitment of doctors every year, the same was not done and instead it continued to hire doctors on contract, Mr. Khader regretted.

Mr. Khader said efforts are in final stage to remove pay-disparity between postgraduate medical doctors in the department and teaching postgraduate doctors with department of medical education, which has been a major grouse of practicing medical doctors. Though medical doctors’ pay would get revised substantially, it would be a little less to teaching doctors due to the nature of work, the Minister said.

Similarly, the practicing medical doctors were unhappy with minimum difference of salary between MBBS doctors and postgraduate doctors. This issue too is being addressed with the proposed pay hike in postgraduate doctors pay, he said.

Meanwhile, the department has increased the consolidated pay to medical officers on contract, from Rs. 28,000 a month to Rs. 40,000 a month with immediate effect. Those serving in rural areas with population less than 25,000 would get Rs. 2,000 more, he added.