M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Oct 18: Fingers are crossed over as to whom the state health department delegates the power of the DDO (drawing and disbursing officer) for the salary disbursement for the NRHM doctors and other personnel in this festive season when half of October has passed and September’s salary continues to remain elusive till the time of filing of this report.
According to sources, Jharkhand Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh has sought an update on the salary position from the Additional Chief Secretary Health Arun Kumar Singh following the report of September salary not paid so far to the NRHM doctors and other personnel in Palamu in the wake of Palamu civil surgeon Dr John F Kennedy being in judicial custody in the central jail Daltonganj in a bribe case.
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As per information, ACS health Arun Kumar Singh has intimated to the chief secretary about the salary sent to all the districts in Jharkhand except Palamu for the reason that DDO authority was so far not delegated to any medical officer. The ACS has asked Joint Secretary Alok Trivedi to obtain approval from the chief secretary for the proposal of delegating the power of the DDO in Palamu civil surgeoncy.
Sources said the state health department has more options than one. Here in the MMCH Daltonganj, there are 3 serving former civil surgeons namely Dr Vijay Singh, Dr Anil Kumar and Dr Anil Kumar Srivastav with different tenures of being civil surgeons here.
Sources said the state health department may like to delegate the DDO power to any of the three serving former civil surgeons here or it may parachute any senior doctor to function as a full-fledged civil surgeon.
The state health department is not left with a lot of time to decide since it is a question for September salary to go to the bank accounts of the NRHM doctors and other NRHM personnel and banks have 3 days of holiday in a row beginning October 22 (the 4th Saturday), October 23 (Sunday) and October 24 Diwali.
Well-placed sources said the state health department is set to send the DDO power to a medical officer here today who by virtue of the power of the DDO will be the Palamu civil surgeon.
