Jaipur: Rajasthan Medical College Teachers Association (RMCTA) has expressed concerns regarding the frequent assignment of election duties to govt doctors. In a recent development, 70 doctors from SMS Hospital were slated to work for the Jaipur Municipal Corporation elections on Sept 11. In response to RMCTA’s objections, State Election Commission subsequently rescinded these duty orders.RMCTA has appealed to the chief secretary to take the matter seriously and to instruct relevant officials to refrain from issuing similar orders in the future. The association emphasised that the Election Commission of India’s 2023 directives, which exempt medical staff in essential services—including doctors, nurses, ANMs, AYUSH medical officers, veterinary doctors, and compounders—from election duty, are being repeatedly overlooked.RMCTA president Dhiraj Jeff termed the assignment of election duties to medical faculty at SMS Medical College and its affiliated hospitals as “a matter of very serious concern.” He recounted that a similar situation arose during the panchayat elections, where doctors were initially ordered to fulfil poll duties, only to have these orders revoked following intervention at the administrative level.“This time, once again, 70 physician teachers from our hospitals were assigned duties for the municipal elections. After significant effort, we received reassurance from the Jaipur Collector that these orders would be cancelled,” Jeff said. He reiterated that such assignments contradict clear guidelines exempting essential service personnel from election responsibilities and urged that this practice be ended.
