Tightening noose around the district health authorities, Punjab Government on Sunday issued strict instructions to all the senior medical officers and the civil surgeons to stay round-the-clock at their place of posting.
In addition, the medical officers have also been directed not to leave their station without prior permission from the concerned officer. This is not all! Besides their attendance, the SMOs and civil surgeons have also been asked to ensure proper attendance of the supporting staff in the hospitals. The instructions to this effect were issued by Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Madan Mohan Mittal during a high-level meeting with senior officials of the department after touring 13 districts of the State to review the health services in the State.
“All senior medical officers and civil surgeons should stay 24X7 at the place of their posting and no one would leave the station without prior permission from the concerned officer. Also senior medical officers and civil surgeons should ensure proper attendance of supporting staff in the hospitals,” said Mittal. Mittal said, “During the tour, some issues came to my notice and I have directed the senior health officials to solve them on priority such as generator sets at Government hospitals are not being properly utilised whereas there is no such issue at the higher department level and all funds related to this are being provided timely to the hospitals.”
He has also directed that responsibility of the civil surgeon or the SMOs should be fixed if there is any complaint regarding generator sets not being utilised in the hospitals. Minister also directed the officials to ensure that mortuary freezers are working properly. He also directed that fire-fighting units should be made operational so that they could be easily used when need arises and cleanliness of hospitals and compounds should be maintained properly on priority.