Transferred from U’khand,docs wait for posting,salary

While doctors have been coming from Uttarakhand and joining duty in UP from time to time,the last ten relieved from Uttarakhand over the last one year were not quite so lucky. Three of them,Dr PK Bandil,Dr SK Jain and Dr DS Nabiyal,were relieved from Uttarakhand earlier this year.

Bandil,a level three medical officer,who was an eye surgeon with the District Hospital,Tehri Garhwal,was relieved in December 2009. He joined the Uttar Pradesh services on January 1,2010. Jain,a joint-director level medical officer who was a surgeon with the district hospital Pauri Garhwal,joined on March 18,2010. Nabiyal,who was posted in Bageshwar District Hospital as a pediatrician,joined on May 3,2010. But all three are yet to receive postings as their files are circulating from one department to another. Similar is the case with five others relieved after May.

SP Rai,a general physician posted at the Community Health Center (CHC),Bhagwanpur,Haridwar,was relieved on June 6 and joined Uttar Pradesh services on June 11. Rajendra Kumar,a pediatrician serving as level two officer at CHC Bhagwanpur,Haridwar,was relieved on June 10 and joined on June 11. SK Singh,a level one officer in Uttarkashi,was relieved on July 7 and joined on July 8. H Singh,a level three medical officer at Manglaur,Haridwar,joined on August 23 and BP Singh joined on July 9.

All of them await postings and salaries. Four of them,SK Singh,SP Singh,Rajendra Kumar and BP Singh,have moved the High Court. “After months of waiting,we moved court on September 9,and the court ordered the government to give us postings within six weeks,” said SK Singh. “We again moved court on October 24 and the court,taking notice of the delay,has given the government three weeks’ time,which ends in the second week of December. We are still awaiting our postings.”

Dr Ganga Mahesh,a level four officer,was relieved from the post of District Leprosy Officer,Haridwar,on September 30,and was asked to join the Health Directorate on October 1. Yet,on October 13,his posting was suspended and he is still awaiting another posting. “I was asked to join by the Director General and I joined on October 1. On October 13,I was asked to give my joining letter to the Secretary,Health and have not received posting orders since then,” he said.

Dr HK Singh was relieved from Rudrapur,Udham Singh Nagar,Uttarakhand as Nagar Swasthya Adhikari,on December 24,2009,a week before his retirement. “When I went to Uttar Pradesh,they gave me the returning orders for Uttarakhand. Meanwhile,I retired on December 31. I don’t know which state will be paying my pension,I am not receiving any pension as of now,” he said.

At present,he is serving as a contractual medical employee in Uttarakhand.

“An inter-state matter,transfers need the approval of the Chief Secretary,Uttar Pradesh,and the files are stuck between the office of the Chief Secretary and the Health Department,” said Dr BP Singh,General Secretary,Uttar Pradesh Provincial Medical Service Association. “When there is a dearth of doctors,such laxity in appointing doctors who are willing to serve is ultimately hampering the health services. The government should take up this issue at a priority level and post these doctors at the earliest.”

But maintaining that the matter is “pending at the government level,” Dr SP Ram,the Director General,Health and Family Welfare,said it is only the higher officials who can take a decision on such issues. “Since the matter is between two states,the officials at the Central level and senior officials of the state can decide on the issue,” he said.

An official of the Department of Reorganisation and Coordination said when the state was divided,three categories of doctors were to be sent to Uttarakhand. They were doctors from the hill sub-cadre,those who had been appointed by the Centre to serve the state and the doctors who were appointed on contract basis in the region.

Since these nine doctors do not belong to any of these three categories,the department had no objection if they were taken by Uttar Pradesh.

The problem,the official said,was that the Health Department did not know who are the doctors who have to be brought back and how many of them are there. Also,in the past,the Uttarakhand government had sent teachers who were not supposed to come here. After this,the Chief Secretary had ordered proper scrutiny of transfers from Uttarakhand. After this,no one wants to take responsibility.