State health dept orders fresh counselling for senior residents
Times of India | 23 June 2026
Kolkata: The state health department has ordered all senior residents (SRs) posted across various medical colleges and other government health facilities via an order in March to register for fresh counselling, following an uproar over a bypassed merit-based selection procedure.
The controversy erupted earlier this year when a newly introduced Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) removed mandatory counselling for SR placements. Under the state’s bond terms, these medical professionals—comprising those who have completed their post-doctoral, post-graduate degree, or diploma courses—are required to serve in government health facilities for three years or two years.
Such assignments were determined strictly through a merit-based counselling system earlier. For the first year, posting a Post Graduate Trainee (PGT) in a medical college was mandatory. However, the health department’s decision to scrap this transparent process in March during the previous government resulted in more than 900 fresh PGTs receiving postings without counselling.
The move triggered widespread resentment among the medical community. Many alleged nepotism and arbitrary allocations, prompting several doctors to quit their government bond postings altogether in protest. By enforcing a registration for fresh counselling, authorities aim to restore transparency and address the growing discontent within the medical community.