MF AHMAD
Daltonganj, Oct 1: The post of the Palamu civil surgeon stands vacant following its incumbent Dr John F Kennedy is now under judicial remand since Friday, September 30 on charges of corruption.
Sources in the medical fraternity said that the post of the civil surgeon cannot be left vacant even for the shortest of time as order and peace in the peripheral hospitals fractures faster than expected because of the poor doctor-patient relation.
As there is a full-fledged medical superintendent in Dr Dilip Kumar Singh at the Medinirai medical college hospital in Daltonganj, it is the 10 community health centres, two sub-divisional hospitals, a fleet of primary health centres and health and wellness centres that are controlled by the civil surgeon and this fleet of the government health hubs are without the controlling officer right now.
Speculations are rife regarding whom the state health department sends in as the civil surgeon.
Moreover, sources said that doctors to nurses ask just one question that is “Will the new civil surgeon be among a lot of the senior doctors here or will the additional chief medical officer will be made the civil surgeon again? Or will the state health department push in someone here as the civil surgeon from another district?”
A serving government doctor preferring anonymity said, “Some names of the doctors have started floating for the post of the civil surgeon. These are Dr Anil Kumar (additional chief medical officer Palamu), the present regional deputy director of health services Palamu Dr SK Srivastav, former civil surgeon and serving senior doctor Anil Kumar Srivastav and the former civil surgeon in charge Garhwa Dr Kamlesh Kumar.”
Sources added that as it is a standard rule that a serving government officer is taken into judicial remand, the process of suspension of the said government officer is inevitable.
They added that the state health department may like to ask the Palamu DC Palamu to send or recommend the name of the doctor to be made as civil surgeon Palamu keeping in view of the ground situation vis a vis health management scenario or the state health department straight way sends its own serving doctor to be the civil surgeon.
Moreover, they said that the longer the chair of the civil surgeon remains vacant, the more troublesome it will be on the health management front here in Palamu where outpatient departments, even in the sub-divisional hospitals or community health centres, overflow with patients quite often.
The family of Dr John F Kennedy has openly accused one doctor of getting Dr Kennedy behind bars for reoccupying the chair of the civil surgeon. The doctor in question has not issued any comment on it but sources vouch that this kind of allegation against the doctor is baseless, unfounded and an act of frustration.
Notably, there has been a long-standing practice in Jharkhand where the civil surgeons have held the post of the RDDHS (Regional Deputy Director Health Services) also and here, the RDDHS, Dr S K Srivastav, is in Palamu.
Moreover, the other contender Dr Anil Srivastav was made the civil surgeon in 2021 when the demand for medical oxygen and Remdesivir was at its worst and he tried to soothe the nerves of the attendants more than of their patients who used to become aggressive at the mere drop off a hat.
Medical sources said the transfer of any doctor here from Garhwa district will not be a suitable choice as then factionalism, which is already here in the medical institution, will further flare up.
However, sources said the state health department has to take a call sooner than later in the wake of the holidays to decide who to function as the next civil surgeon.
