Taking a tough stand on absentee doctors, the State administration has directed the Health directorate to take punitive action against them. On the directive of the State administration, the health directorate of the State has written letters to the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of the districts and asked them to send the list of doctors who are not reporting to their duties for long.
The Director General (DG), Health and Family welfare, Dr Archana Srivastava has asked the CMOs, the names of the doctors, their place of posting and period of absenteeism from duties. The department plans to show exit doors to the doctors who don’t want to work in the State health services and appoint newly appointed doctors in their place.
The DG Health Dr Srivastava said that CMOs have been asked to send their reports on doctors who are not reporting to their duties. On the basis of this report action would be initiated against these doctors. She added that new doctors would be appointed in the vacant positions.
The tough stand of the department against the absentee doctors comes close on heels of the action against the absconding bonded medical officers. large number of medical officers who had entered into a bond to serve in the State health services after having availed the benefit of subsidised fees structure during their MBBS course are absconding from their duties.
A department report places the number of such doctors at 218; the health department recently cracked whip against these doctors after which many of them have rejoined their duties.
The Health department would also soon get the services of 711 medical officers recently recruited by the Uttarakhand Medical Services Selection Board (UMSSSB). The department has made it clear that all these doctors would be appointed in remote and mountainous areas of the State.
Experts believe that these measures are expected to provide doctors to the State health services reeling under acute shortage of medical officers.
The departmental data reveals that as many as 1615 posts of total 2711 posts of doctors are lying vacant at present.
A staggering 60 percent of vacant posts have rendered the entire health system of state seriously ill.
In the remote and mountainous parts of the state the situation of absence of doctors is very alarming and in almost all such places the health services are non-existent.