Srinagar, Jun 27: Two years ago, the J&K government ordered that the Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) and Government Dental Colleges (GDCs) in J&K implement rotatory headship ñ after every two years, the head of the departments would move aside and make way for a new head, the next senior most professor in the department.
This June, the order was set to make new heads, but the status quo maintained by the college administrations has brewed ambiguity among the faculty of these institutions.
On June 10, 2025, the National Medical Commission (NMC) proposed a three-year rotatory headship and the departments will be headed by professors and associate professors who are eligible to become professors, who hold medical postgraduate degrees, based on seniority in the department.
The commission has invited feedback on the ëPost Graduate Medical Education Regulation (2025)í.
While this proposal may or may not be implemented in J&K, the Lieutenant Governor on June 22, 2023, issued an order 527-JK (HME) of 2023 which sanctioned the adoption of a new procedure for becoming Head of the Department in GMCs and GDCs of J&K.
One, the departments with only one professor would be headed by that professor and in the departments with multiple professors, the post of HoD will be rotated among the professors every two years as per seniority.
In GMC Srinagar, two senior professors were accorded the designation of HoDs on June 26.
The order was to be implemented in 2025, with no consideration for the number of years already served as HoD.
However, as June 2025 approaches the end, faculty in medical and dental colleges of J&K await word on the next change due.
While several faculty members are in favour of rotatory headship, many others feel it is not in the best interest of the departments.
A former principal of GMC while speaking to Greater Kashmir said that the J&K governmentís order issued in 2023 is a violation of NMC guidelines which proposes a three year rotation.
He said rotationary headships were not implemented in institutions of repute like PGI Chandigarh and AIIMS.
ìRotatory headship will give birth to anarchy with a multiple number of ex-HOD with no defined role,î he said.
A faculty member of one of the institutions under the ambit of change, who was also opposed to the idea of rotatory headship, said that departments with only one professor will strive to remain departments with only one professor to retain the chair.
ìMoreover, it is another backstab on open merit. The order is meant to hand headship over to candidates who were low in merit at the time of selection,î he said.
On the other hand, many people who are next in the line for headship feel that order gives them a chance to head the department.
ìSome heads remain heads of department for decades, till their retirement and meanwhile, more people lose the chance to become heads,î a faculty member said.
He said that order is under consideration at a number of institutions and the GMCs and GDCs must implement it at the earliest.
