Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 11: Bizarre it may sound but it is true that on the day the government expressed concern over shortage of doctors in various district hospitals of the state, Director Health Services, Jammu, further compounded the problems by disengaging the services of all the specialist doctors engaged under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
On March 25, 2015, state health minister accepted the fact on the floor of the House that there was dearth of doctors and specialist doctors in all the district hospitals of the state.
Surprisingly, Director Health Services Jammu, Dr Baljeet Pathania on the same day, issued an order, disengaging the services of all the specialist doctors engaged under NRHM.
The order which is in possession of Early Times, says: "All the specialists, who have been engaged by this directorate on contractual basis under NRHM in different FRUs, CHCs and District Hospitals, are disengaged from April 1 as their contractual period is going to expire on 31/3/2015."
Sources said that as per the guidelines, before disengaging the services of any employee, prior notice was to be given to the employee, so that he/she could explore other options.
"The order of disengaging the services of specialist doctors by the director was like a bolt from the blue, which made nearly 50 specialists jobless in no time. This should not had been done in such a way and it is disrespect for all the specialists", sources said.
"We are not getting regular salary and after the issue repeatedly came into limelight, 10 months' salary of specialists was paid in April. Director Health was allegedly responsible for delay in salary but after the new dispensation took over, he disengaged them", the doctors alleged.
They said that already there was dearth of specialists across the state and by disrespecting the engaged specialists, the director had not only compounded the problems but it would also be difficult for government to provide better health care and the workload on premier hospitals would increase manifolds.
Pertinently, on March 25, 2015, on the floor of House, state government had informed the legislative assembly that against the sanctioned strength of 33 specialists, 12 are in position, and against 33 sanctioned posts of medical officers, six are in position in District Hospital, Poonch.
Moreover, at Community Health Centre, Mandi, against the total sanctioned strength of five specialists only two are employed whereas against seven sanctioned posts of medical officers, five are employed there, the government had said.
The government had further said that against the total sanctioned vacancies of 70 doctors at the District Hospital in Poonch only 20 are employed, whereas 50 positions are lying vacant.
"In Sub-District Hospital (SDH), 24 doctors are working against the sanctioned vacancies of 42, at Primary Health Centres only 11 doctors are working against the total sanctioned vacancies of 51," govt. had said.
Moreover, to a question by MLA Shakti Raj Parihar regarding the vacancies of doctors in Doda district, the Health Minister had said, "Against 50 sanctioned posts of specialists, 23 are in position and 27 posts are vacant. Similarly, against 156 posts of doctors, 46 are in position and 110 are vacant".
He had also said that 20 MBBS doctors and 40 ISM doctors were engaged on contractual basis under NRHM. |
