KV Network

Unnecessary rules

Unnecessary rules
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The state of Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a dearth of medicos especially in the peripheries. However, despite all this the state has to order cancellation of appointment of 437 Medical Officers who have been recently appointed by the Health & Medical Education department. These orders were passed after these medicos failed in joining their duties.
The order was issued after the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir and Jammu furnished the information/particulars of the Medical Officers who have not joined at their respective place of postings up-to the last date of joining.
The joining of the medicos was delayed as most of the selected doctors were perusing their higher education or registrarship and they had asked for time to complete their assignments.
To augment the health care facilities in the rural and far flung areas of the state, the H&ME department completed the whole process of recruitment of medical officers in a record time of 3 months and orders of appointment were issued to the selected candidates 921 Medical Officers on January 14, 2019.
The department however, barred those selected from continuing their PG or tenures of senior residency, registrarship and demonstratorship while being appointed as medical officers.
The H&ME order had said that the medical officers will have only one choice: either to opt for appointment (or to) opt out and continue their further studies. It added that in case an appointee decides to continue his/her higher studies, “candidates from the waiting list will be considered for appointment”.
Though the state’s High Court had in an earlier order allowed many of the medicos to continue their PG while serving as medical officers, thus virtually making the H&ME’s condition irrelevant. However, the department had in its objection said that a considerable number of medical officer posts “though substantively occupied, physically/practically remain vacant” as a number of doctors remain engaged in their post-graduation and other courses even after being appointed as medical officers.
The absence of these doctors, who are posted in the state’s peripheral areas, leads to great resentment in the public and consequent crisis of non-availability of doctors in the concerned health institution.
The controversy that has evolved is the creation of the health department alone. Whenever vacancies occur in the Regular Duty Posts (RDP) cadre of the MOs, these are referred to the PSC which takes its time and until the select lists are obtained from the PSC posts these regular duty posts remain vacant.
Even the Audit report of the Health and Medical Education Department has made a certain observation on the same lines.
When the select list is finally received, it contains a large number of selectees who would be either undergoing Registrar-ship or doing their Post-Graduation in the various Medical Colleges of the State or the SKIMS or even outside the State.
Asking the medicos to leave their registrar-ships or PG Courses midway would cause loss of these PG seats and would also reduce the availability of Registrars suddenly which could lead to de-recognition of Certain UG/PG Courses of these Medical Colleges by the Medical Council of India.
Keeping in view the situation the department faces it should have amended the rules to prohibit the doctors undergoing PG from applying for the posts of Medical Officers advertised by the recruiting agency J&KPSC. This way such controversies can be avoided in future.


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