In a major corrective action which will bring a semblance of order and respect for hierarchy in the State health department, the State Government has decided to appoint Additional Directors (AD) on the plum posts of Chief Medical Officers (CMO).
On the orders of the State administration, the state health department has completed the process of the counselling of the AD rank officers for being appointed as CMOs in different districts. This will ensure that CMOs of six districts out of total 13 would be replaced. The districts where JD rank officers are working as CMOs are Tehri, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Pauri, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar.
The Additional Director (Administration), health directorate, Dr Prem lal said that the department has completed the process of appointing AD ranked officers on the post of CMOs in all the districts.
The state health department has 35 sanctioned posts of AD and 160 posts of JD. After the recent Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC), all the posts of AD and JD in health department are filled now. Prior to this DPC, the CMOs of as many as nine districts were occupied by junior ranked JDs while most of the senior ranked ADs remained sidelined on non descript positions.
The departmental guideline mandates that only senior ranked officers should be appointed as CMOs. The political interference in the working of health department has always ensured that junior ranked JDs were appointed as CMOs. The issue came into prominence last year when the intervention of then Health Minister resulted in appointment of many JD ranked officers on the post of CMOs, overruling the principal of seniority and departmental guidelines in the process.
“The political intervention resulted in tempering in the hierarchy of department. The post of CMO is much sought after. Apart from being an important administrative post the CMO is considered a plum assignment as he oversees the entire health budget for the district.
The decision to appoint senior officers on the position of CMO would definitely help in reducing corruption and result in smooth functioning of the department,’’ said an officer of health department.