Hyderabad: For the first time since state formation, the Telangana government has made regular appointments for positions of directors of medical education, both administrative and academics.

The current in-charge Dr N. Vani will be replaced by Dr Narendra Kumar as the regular DME, administrative. Before this, Dr Kumar was Principal of Osmania Medical College.

Dr Shivaram Prasad has been appointed as DME, academics. He is the former principal of Jagtial Medical College.

These appointments come after a long-drawn legal battle led by Dr Kumar and the Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA).

The High Court directed the government to appoint regular DMEs. The applicants had maintained that after state bifurcation, the DME post went to Andhra Pradesh as part of the distribution of jobs.

The previous government managed the position without creating a new post, operating with acting in-charges.

Following the court order, the current government decided to make the regular appointments as per the seniority criteria.