Stay period ranges from 24-5 years with undue perks
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Dec 16: The Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar, has forwarded a list of 62 overstaying Medical Officers (MOs) to the Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department, who are enjoying perks, while stressing the need for their replacement.
In this regard, the Administrator of the GMC Srinagar and Associated Hospitals has listed the doctors who have been deputed from the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, from time to time-with the stay period ranging from 24 years to 5 years.
“Having stayed in the associated hospital for a pretty long time, these Medical Officers enjoy perks at par with the Govt Medical College Srinagar staff, i.e., remain posted at a single place/also avail long leaves during winters on one pretext or another,” reads a letter that has been written to the H&ME Department along with the list of all such doctors with dates of deployment as well as the stay period.
It is to be noted here that these Medical Officers, on deputation, are also availing the facility of Non-Practising Allowance (NPA), contrary to laid-down guidelines, regarding which a rider has been recently put in place through a circular issued by the GMC administration.
One of the cases that has figured in the list dispatched to the higher authorities is a doctor whose present place of posting is Govt Psychiatric Disease Hospital, Srinagar, and has been deployed since the year 1999, with a stay period of 24 years. Two more doctors with almost the same stay period are posted at Super Speciality Hospital and SMHS Hospital.
The list has nearly six doctors who have a stay period in the associated hospitals of over 20 years, with the least being a 5-year stay period of a doctor whose present place is Govt Lalla Ded Hospital, deputed in the year 2018.
The communication reiterated that the associated hospitals of GMC Srinagar are facing a dearth of medical officers, and accordingly, keeping in view the workload, “the Government from time to time kept on deputing medical officers from the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir.”
In order to infuse a fresh lease of life into the system, the GMC has written to the H&ME, suggesting that it would be appropriate to replace these Medical Officers with a new lot of Medical Officers from the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, and the new lot be allowed to work in these associated hospitals under standard terms and conditions as per deputation rules.
“By developing different sorts of interests, these medical officers keep on creating hurdles in the smooth functioning of the administrative setup on flimsy grounds,” the communication underlined.
It has been further emphasized in the communication that in the recent episode of a fake doctor in Govt Lalla Ded Hospital, a recommendation was made to the extent of shifting Medical Officers who are staying in Govt. Medical College Srinagar and associated hospitals for a pretty long time.
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