Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], September 5 : To facilitate the process of obtaining medical certificates for state employees and reduce the workload on the Permanent Medical Board at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, the Gujarat government has decided to set up a new three-member Permanent Medical Board at GMERS Hospital, Sola, Ahmedabad, the Gujarat Chief Minister's Office said on Saturday.
The decision was taken under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and with the approval of Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Praful Pansheriya.
Under the new arrangement, Class-III employees of the Education Department and Class- III and Class-IV employees of the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) can obtain medical certificates required for transfer or cadre change on medical grounds from Sola GMERS Hospital.
According to the Gujarat CMO, primary and secondary school teachers, Vidya Sahayaks and Assistant Teachers of the Education Department need medical certificates for intra-district or inter-district transfers in cases of serious and incurable illnesses. 
Under the new arrangement, employees from Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Patan, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Banaskantha and Surendranagar districts will have their medical examinations conducted by the Permanent Medical Board at Sola GMERS. For employees from other districts, the existing system of obtaining certificates through the nearest Permanent Medical Board will continue.
For cadre changes in GSRTC, Class-III and Class-IV employees of the Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Himmatnagar and Palanpur divisions will also benefit from this facility. After medical examination, the Medical Board at Sola GMERS will issue permanent ‘Fit’ or ‘Unfit’ certificates. The existing system of District Medical Boards for employees of other departments will continue.
Under the Gujarat Civil Services (General Conditions of Service) Rules, 2002, Medical Boards are functioning in Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Vadodara and Surat. Until now, medical certificate cases of employees from the eight districts of the Education Department and four GSRTC divisions were handled by the Permanent Medical Board at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, increasing the hospital’s workload.
The new Board at Sola GMERS will have three members. A Civil Surgeon or Senior Professor of Medicine will serve as its Chairperson. The Medical Superintendent of the hospital affiliated with the concerned medical college will officially appoint the Chairperson and other members.
This decision will decentralise the process of obtaining medical certificates. Employees will have access to a designated Medical Board, while the workload on the Permanent Medical Board at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital will be reduced. This will make the medical-based transfer and cadre-change process for employees of the Education Department and GSRTC more streamlined and convenient.