In a bizarre administrative move, government doctors at Dr. SN Medical College and its affiliated hospitals in Jodhpur have been tasked with a new duty: clearing stray dogs from the premises. The administration has appointed several doctors as ‘Nodal Officers’ to coordinate with the Municipal Corporation for dog removal, a decision that has sparked immediate backlash from the medical fraternity.

The Administrative Order Dr. BS Jodha, Principal of the Medical College, issued directives to hospital superintendents to curb the entry of stray dogs. Under this order, Dr. Nirmala Bishnoi at Mandore District Hospital and Dr. Naresh Chauhan at Pratapnagar District Hospital have been designated as Nodal Officers. Their primary role is to coordinate with the municipal team and ensure that no stray animals roam the corridors of the healthcare facilities.

Physicians Association Slams the Move The Jodhpur unit of the All Rajasthan Serving Doctors Association (ARISDA) has condemned the order. Ramniwas Senwar, the association president, argued that this is the core responsibility of the local municipal body or hospital administration staff. “The department should have created posts like Health Manager or Caretaker instead of burdening doctors with non-medical tasks. This sends a wrong message about our profession,” he stated.

Authority Clarifies: It’s Only Coordination Defending the decision, Principal Dr. Jodha clarified that doctors are not expected to physically catch the animals. Their role is strictly limited to coordinating with the professional dog-catching teams of the Municipal Corporation. He mentioned that similar orders were previously issued in Kota following directives from the Supreme Court and University Grants Commission (UGC). However, doctors remain adamant that such administrative tasks interfere with their primary duty of saving lives.