In a recent move by the Rajasthan government, more than 180 specialist doctors, trained and employed for clinical and consultant roles, have been reassigned temporarily to verify the educational certificates and credentials of approximately 8,200 newly selected nurses and paramedical staff for days.
According to reports, nearly 180 specialist doctors, including those from major institutions such as SMS Medical College, Jaipur, Dr. SN Medical College, Jodhpur, and RUHS College of Medical Sciences, were asked to report to district-level centres to verify educational and service records of newly selected nurses under the state recruitment drive. Many of these doctors were relocated from tertiary-care government hospitals such as SMS Hospital (Jaipur), Mathuradas Mathur Hospital (Jodhpur), and Kota’s MBS Hospital, where they are normally responsible for high-volume patient care and specialist services. Their reassignment to clerical verification duties has resulted in reduced specialist availability in outpatient departments and inpatient wards during the verification period.
This verification exercise involves checking degrees, registrations, and identity proofs to confirm that each candidate holds valid and authentic credentials before joining public hospitals across the state. The reassignment aims to prevent unqualified or bogus personnel from entering the health workforce.
Diversion of Specialist Doctors: Doctors who would otherwise be treating patients, including those needing specialised or emergency care are now engaged in document-checking and administrative tasks. This reallocation of manpower may reduce the availability of specialists in hospitals.
Delayed or Deferred Medical Care: With specialists occupied, routine and critical treatments may suffer delays, especially in tertiary-level care units that depend on specialist intervention.
Underlying Cause, Fake Registrations & Credential Fraud: The reassignment stems from a broader crackdown by the Rajasthan Medical Council (RMC) and the state health department to address widespread use of forged or invalid documents by doctors and paramedical staff. Past investigations unearthed multiple cases of fake registrations and fraudulent credentials among medical professionals.
The current situation raises a key question: Is the state’s health system equipped to manage large-scale credential verification without impacting patient care?
The backlog of registrations to be verified is substantial: in a previous exercise, more than 70,000 doctor registrations were under scrutiny.
On one hand, the verification aims to ensure that only qualified and legally registered professionals provide care, an important step for patient safety and overall healthcare quality.
On the other, diverting specialists from clinical duties may strain already-overburdened hospitals, particularly in emergency departments and specialty units.
This situation reflects deeper structural issues in Rajasthan’s public health administration:
Insufficient Administrative Staff vs. Clinical Staff: Rather than assigning clerks or administrative professionals to handle paperwork, qualified doctors are being used, indicating a shortage of non-clinical personnel dedicated to documentation and verification.
Legacy of Credential Fraud: Prior investigations uncovered multiple instances where reportedly “doctors” were practising based on forged credentials or without valid medical degrees. This has forced the state to adopt sweeping verification drives.
Unfilled Specialist Posts Despite Trained Doctors: In many government hospitals, sanctioned posts for specialists across multiple disciplines remain unfilled, even though there are enough qualified doctors; part of the issue stems from the continued delay or cancellation of recruitment.
(Rh/TL)