Thiruvananthapuram: The five state-run medical colleges in Kerala were facing a staff crunch due to poor service conditions and 600 doctors' vacancies were lying unfilled -- and expected to cross 1,000 in the next few years, an office-bearer of a medical college teacher's body said on Thursday.

A. Sarath Kumar, Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association president, told reporters here that young doctors are keeping away from medical colleges because of poor service conditions.

Of the 1,922 designated posts of doctors in the five MCs (medical colleges), every year for the past five years the number of vacancies are increasing and in the next few years they would cross 1,000, said Kumar.

He said this is going to be a point of discussion at their state conference to be held at Kozhikode on Sunday.

The five medical colleges in the state mainly cater to lower and middle level income people. They have a total of nearly 9,000 beds and treat close to 400,000 in-patients and 2.5 million out-patients every year.

C. Jayan, a doctor, said the situation is grave and the authorities should act by bringing out schemes which do not have any financial implication.

"At many hospitals in the country, they offer sabbaticals for doctors, in which they are given leave for five years to work elsewhere to improve their financial position. Here no such thing happens and there are not even opportunities for doctors to undergo training or facilities for improving their knowledge," said Jayan.

"While the newly started medical colleges in the private sector offer a starting level salary of Rs.50,000, the salary here is a mere Rs.20,000 inclusive of all allowances. A reasonable salary level which could be an impetus for doctors who have some social responsibility to join would be around Rs.36,000," said Jayan. IANS