AMARAVATI, May 6: The Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday dismissed 51 doctors serving under the Director of Medical Education (DME) for remaining absent from duty without authorisation, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav announced, warning that the state would brook no further negligence in public medical institutions.

The dismissed doctors include eight Associate Professors, 41 Assistant Professors, and two Tutors — several of whom had been absent from their posts for periods ranging from one year to as long as six years. The action was taken under Rule 3 of the Andhra Pradesh Civil Services (Conduct) Rules (Violation) — 1964, which empowers the government to treat prolonged unauthorised absence as deemed resignation.

"Show-cause notices were issued and adequate time was given to respond. Despite that, there was no response from these individuals," Satya Kumar Yadav said. "Those who are negligent in discharging their duties or who remain absent without authorisation will face strict action. There is absolutely no question of tolerating irresponsibility."

Absent for years, some since 2020

Among the Associate Professors dismissed, one attached to Andhra Medical College had been absent since February 7, 2020 — a period of over five years. Among the Assistant Professors, one had not reported for duty since August 22, 2022. The dismissed doctors belong to government medical colleges spread across the state, including those at Kadapa, Anantapur, Ongole, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Rajamahendravaram, Eluru, Nellore, and Markapur.

Of the two Tutors dismissed, one had been absent for seven years — among the longest periods of unauthorised absence recorded in the exercise.

Charge memos bring eleven back to duty

The crackdown has already produced results in some cases. Eleven doctors who had been absent for under a year returned to duty after the DME issued charge memoranda. However, 33 others — comprising two Associate Professors and 31 Assistant Professors — have yet to report despite receiving notices, and face dismissal if they fail to join within the stipulated deadline.

In the Professor category, three individuals who had been absent for extended periods are expected to face similar punitive action shortly. Of five Professors served notices, two have since returned to duty.

Impact on patient care cited as primary concern

Officials noted that the prolonged absence of faculty from teaching hospitals had a direct and measurable impact on the quality of medical services available to patients. Many of the absentees had reportedly pursued private engagements while remaining on government rolls — a practice that had gone largely unchecked during the previous administration.

Following directions issued by the Minister, DME officials compiled detailed lists of absentees from across all government medical colleges before initiating formal proceedings under the applicable service rules.

The government has simultaneously indicated that vacancies arising from these dismissals will be filled promptly under its Zero Vacancy Policy, ensuring that the affected institutions are not left short-staffed in the interim.

With 33 more doctors yet to report and action pending against three Professors, further dismissals in the coming weeks appear likely.

NEW DELHI, APRIL 16: Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha member and BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari on Wednesday lent her unequivocal support to the Delimitation Bill 2026 and the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill introduced in the Lower House, while allaying concerns over the potential marginalisation of southern states in a reconstituted Parliament.

Speaking during the debate on the two bills, Ms. Purandeswari sought to address the apprehension — widely expressed by Opposition members and southern political formations — that a fresh delimitation exercise would result in a net reduction of Lok Sabha seats for states that have performed better on demographic indicators.

No state will lose existing seats, she asserts

Outlining the contours of the Centre's proposal, she said the government's plan to increase the total number of Lok Sabha seats by 50 per cent would ensure that no state loses its current tally of seats. Basing the exercise on the 2011 Census data, she argued, would preserve the existing political balance while accommodating expanded representation commensurate with overall population growth.

"The voice of the southern states will remain as strong as ever in Parliament," she said, adding that the delimitation process would be participatory in nature, with public hearings providing citizens and state governments an opportunity to place their views on record before any final determination is made.

Congress indicted for "deliberate delay" on women's reservation

Turning to the women's reservation provisions embedded in the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, Ms. Purandeswari trained her guns on the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, holding it responsible for what she described as decades of unconscionable delay on a matter of fundamental political justice.

She recalled that the Women's Reservation Bill had been pending since 1996 and that while the Rajya Sabha had passed it in 2010, the UPA government had declined to bring it before the Lok Sabha — a failure she characterised as a deliberate act of political omission. "When Prime Minister Modi is now implementing this on a war footing, it ill behoves the Opposition to obstruct it on frivolous political grounds," she said.

Women as decision-makers, not merely participants

Ms. Purandeswari argued that the reservation of seats for women in legislative bodies would effect a qualitative transformation in the nature of women's participation in public life — elevating them from stakeholders to decision-makers in the truest sense. She invoked the legacy of B.R. Ambedkar, contending that the bill was in consonance with his vision of ensuring political justice for historically underrepresented sections of society.

Concluding her address, she said it was a matter of deep personal pride to be a participant in what she called a historic moment in India's constitutional history.

Amaravati : In a significant move aimed at enhancing transparency and expediting appointments, the Andhra Pradesh Medical, Health and Family Welfare Department has decided to entrust the Andhra Pradesh Medical Services Recruitment Board (APMSR B) with the end-to-end management of zonal-level staff recruitments, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav announced on Wednesday.

The decision, which will come into effect for all future notifications, covers the entire recruitment cycle — from issuing notifications to finalising the selection list — for posts that were hitherto handled by the four zonal offices located at Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Guntur, and Kadapa.

Why the Change Was Needed

Under the existing system, zonal offices independently managed recruitments for posts including Staff Nurses, Radiographers, Pharmacy Assistants, Malaria Officers, Statistical Officers, Deputy Statistical Officers, and Medical Record Technicians. The process — spanning receipt of applications, scrutiny, handling of objections, finalisation of selection lists, counselling, and posting orders — was handled entirely at the regional level.

The limitations of this arrangement came into sharp focus recently when the Rajamahendravaram zonal office issued a notification for around 310 nursing posts and received nearly 12,000 applications in response. Verifying qualifications, seniority, and other details took up to three months, with the office relying on temporary data entry operators and senior assistants to manage the workload. Each zonal office operates with an average staff strength of only about 15 personnel, from record assistants to superintendents.

The Minister said the centralisation of this process would relieve considerable administrative pressure on zonal offices, freeing their staff to focus on employee promotions, service matters, and other governance responsibilities.

Recruitment Board's Track Record

The APMSR B already handles State-level appointments, including Medical Officers, Assistant Professors, Psychiatrists, and other specialised posts, based on indents received from the Directorates of Medical Education, Public Health, Secondary Health, and AYUSH. Counselling and posting orders, however, continue to be issued by the respective Heads of Department.

The Board's established processes were recently applied to the appointment of 482 doctors under the Directorate of Public Health, and the same framework will now be extended to zonal-level posts.

Since June 2024, the APMSR B has completed 2,310 recruitments up to March 31, 2026. The Minister also announced that the Board would shortly take up the filling of 317 Assistant Professor posts in teaching hospitals.

Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav said the new arrangement, combined with the State government's ongoing commitment to zero-vacancy recruitment, would ensure that appointments are completed more swiftly and with greater accountability.