Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Jul 24: Senior doctors in valley hospitals have alleged that juniors are being promoted while the feeding cadres with vast experience are being left out.
“This is in gross violation of the government rules,” the doctors told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
One of the doctors wishing anonymity said, “The government has been violating rules themselves as the junior doctors who have been working in medical colleges with no experience of the administrative system are being confirmed as Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), while senior doctors who have been working as Block Medical Officers (BMOs), deputy CMOs and other administrative officers are being left out.”
As per the Government Order No. 296-JK (HME) of 2023 dated April 10, 2023, 95 medical officers were confirmed as ‘Deputy Director/CMO or equivalent’.
Soon after the order was issued, the senior doctors expressed their anguish alleging some junior medical officers who have never worked at BMO or at any administrative post have been confirmed as CMOs while some senior officers who have worked at administrative posts for decades were ignored.
Many among these junior doctors have never worked in the field, one of the “senior” doctors said, adding, “A doctor who has worked as in-charge Medical Superintendent for just five months being a medical officer has been confirmed as CMO.”
The doctors said they were expecting transparency in the Lieutenant Governor-led administration. “But unfortunately that isn’t happening on the ground,” they said. “We don’t know under what rules were the senior doctors left out at BMO positions while juniors were confirmed for the same positions.”
A similar situation is there in National Health Mission (NHM) where juniors are being confirmed as State Nodal Officers and District Nodal Officers while seniors are being left out, the doctors alleged.
“Recently a junior doctor who was at the 531 serial number in seniority list was given the post of Additional Director. How come around 500 doctors were left out?” another “senior” doctor asked. “The consultants are being given administrative posts in the health department and by doing so, a consultant is holding two positions simultaneously, that is, both consultant and medical superintendent or any other posts.”
When a consultant is given additional charge of the medical superintendent or any administrative post, he is able to do justice neither as a consultant nor as an administrative officer, the doctors said. “This blocks the way for a person who deserves the administrative post.”
They said if any administrative post is to be filled, it must be advertised, and the posts must be filled as per the set-down protocol.
The doctors said they have repeatedly informed the “higher-ups” about the issue but no attention was paid to it. “We have even written to the Public Service Commission (PSC) and other authorities regarding the violation of government rules but no action was taken,” they said.
“A committee must be constituted to investigate the matter and action must be taken against the officials who are resorting to pick-and-choose policy,” the “senior” doctors said. They have urged LG Manoj Sinha and Secretary Health and Medical Education to look into the matter—(KNO)
