Many newly appointed doctors yet to join duties

In many peripheral areas that were expected to get reprieve from doctors’ shortage with the recent selection of medical officers, no doctor is still available, pushing the population to seek healthcare facilities from other areas.

Many PHCs of Baramulla district, and many other villages ofnorth Kashmir, continue to remain locked due to non-availability of doctors, asource in health department said. Doctors who had been posted at these places,according to the source, are yet to make themselves available for work, despitethe passage of last date of joining.

   

“There are many caseswhere the doctors have submitted a joining report, but have left the place ofposting to continue what they were doing before being selected as medicalofficers,” the source said. He added that the “truants” were mostly doctors whowere either in their final year of post graduation or were employed on sometenure post in the medical colleges of the State. Recently, health and medicaleducation department and High Court issued orders making it unlawful for anydoctor to keep a post blocked and mandatorily choose either the new appointmentor continue with their education or tenure post.

However, the source said, there were many instances wherethe appointees were being allowed to join after last date or are not physicallypresent at the place of posting, their joining being “only on papers”.

“There are blatant violations of the High Court directions.There are some doctors who are on two roasters, one in GMC Hospital, one inperipheral hospital,” the source said.

An official in health department said that government hadplanned a physical verification of fresh appointees through surpriseinspections due to complaints of “mismanagement”. “There are allegations thatmany higher ups are allowing doctors to flout rules,” he said.

Commissioner secretary health and medical education AtalDulloo said that no candidate was being allowed to join after the last date andthat physical verification of doctors’ availability at places of posting wouldbe carried out. “We have sought a report from directorate about the healthcenters where the doctor is not available,” he said adding that a waiting listof over 170 doctors was being operated to make fresh appointments for poststhat have fallen vacant. “Within a week we will fill the places that havefallen vacant,” he said.

The select list of 921 medical officers was issued on 14January in the “fastest recruitment drive” of the health department. The grossshortage of doctors in rural hospitals was expected to get addressed with thisrecruitment.

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