SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, March 30: Dhanbad Civil Surgeon (CS) and Regional Deputy Director (RDD) of health of Hazaribagh division are on a collision course over the deployment of the medical officer-in-charge at Tundi community health centre (CHC).
Dhanbad CS Dr Shyam Kishore Kant had posted Dr Shrawan Kumar as the medical officer-in-charge of Tundi CHC in place of Dr Kumari Nilam in February for streamlining the health services in the Naxal- affected region.
Dr Nilam is a 2012 batch medical officer and she refused to hand over the charge to Dr Shrawan Kumar (2019 batch medical officer), who is junior to her.
Dr Kumari Nilam complained to the RDD health of Hazaribagh Dr Gopal Das who put a stay on the order of the CS Dr Shyam Kishore Kant and issued a letter for the continuation of Dr Nilam.
However, the CS has again deployed Dr Shrawan Kumar as the in-charge of Tundi CHC and expressed concerns over the disobedience of his order by Dr Nilam for refusing to hand over the charge.
Dr Shyam Kishore Kant said that the posting of a medical officer in the district comes under the jurisdiction of civil surgeons and not RDD.
Dr Gopal Das when contacted on Wednesday said that he is yet to receive the letter from the civil surgeon regarding the redeployment of Dr Shrawan Kumar at Tundi CHC.
“I am in the court at present and will make any comment on it after getting the details,” he said.
A senior medical officer of the district health department alleged that the present civil surgeon has thrown the seniority protocol of the department and guidelines of the state health department to the winds by promoting junior doctors over seniors. A contractual doctor has been made a nodal officer of the Sadar hospital while the seniority of over a dozen medical officers has been overlooked.
“Notably when Baghmara MLA Dhullu Mahto raised the issue in the assembly, the civil surgeon removed the junior doctor from the senior post but within a week, he again deployed them by violating the health department guidelines,” said a senior medical officer.
