SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Nov 19: The State government’s axe is all set to fall on two medical officers of rural health centres of Jharkhand on charges of absconding from their duty for over two years without prior information.
Joint secretary of the state government Vidyanand Sharma Pankaj has issued a notification to Dr Jyoti Kumari, medical officer of the additional primary health centre (APHC) Balkunsh Tundi block of Dhanbad district and Dr Umesh Oraon, medical officer of the community health centre (CHC) Shikaripara of Dumka district, serving them an ultimatum to either reply to the notice or face action.
Tundi block in Dhanbad district is a Naxal-affected region where not only in remote health centres but even at CHC in block doctors do not like to work fearing ultra-organization activists.
Dr Jyoti Kumari has been given one week (November 25) while Dr Umesh Oraon has received merely 24 hours (till November 20) to reply to the show cause notice.
The official sources in the health department said that Dr Jyoti Kumari has been absent from Tundi APHC since October 27, 2020. Even earlier, the health department issued a show cause notice to her on December 21, 2021, but she did not reply.
Similarly, Dr Oraon has been absent since December 19, 2020, from the Dumka Shikaripada CHC. The department issued a notice to him on November 22, 2021, but he did not reply as well.
“Since the additional chief secretary (ACS) health has begun streamlining the rural health services in the state, absconding doctors at CHCc, PHCs are being removed to deploy medical officers on vacant posts,” said a senior official of the health department.
While Dr Oraon has been given a notice mentioning holding of salary payment, pension and other benefits if he does not reply, the state government has warned Dr Jyoti of her dismissal from the job and recommending the National Medical Council or the State Medical Council medical license under the National Medical Council Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics Regulation 2002 for cancellation of registration.
Notably, last month, the Jharkhand Health Service Association (JHSA), the frontal organization of government doctors, and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) strongly protested at the meeting with the health minister and ACS health for a recommendation of medical registration of doctors. Sources said the health minister and ACS had assured such warning would not be served notwithstanding doctors are being threatened.
