Kozhikode, Monday 12 October 2009: Postgraduate students, house surgeons and BDS students of government dental colleges will go on indefinite strike from today to press their demand for introduction of residency system in dental colleges in the State.

The students will abstain from all clinical duties, including casualty duty and classes for graduate students. The demand for a residency system was raised in September 2008. Although the government had given assurances, nothing had materialised so far, said K. Chandrababu, general secretary, Postgraduate Association.

He accused the government of taking a “highly prejudiced step” by introducing the residency system only in medical colleges from January 2009. The medical and dental postgraduate courses are similar in all respects, including fee, duration of course and qualifying examination. The staff pattern and pay scales of medical and dental colleges have been similar all these years.

The government has not shown any discrimination between medical and dental colleges regarding the pay revision for teaching staff, he said. However, Dr. Chandrababu pointed out the disparity in the implementation of the residency system for postgraduate students. Residency programmes are implemented alike in all medical and dental colleges in the country.

If the residency system is not implemented in dental colleges, postgraduates will be at a disadvantage for selection to government service. Usually the postgraduate study period is considered as teaching experience for appointment to the post of assistant professors, he said.

He said implementation of the residency system would help offer better services to patients. The routine clinical sessions will be supplemented by evening clinic sessions. Residents from all departments could be engaged in these evening clinics and the current delay in availing dental care could be drastically reduced. It would also provide multi-disciplinary treatment to patients.

(News agency)