Chandigarh Health Department Investigation

The UT health secretary, Yashpal Garg, has recently made a surprise visit to the health and wellness centres (HWCs) of Chandigarh and identified a lack of efficiency and enthusiasm in the senior staff who have been serving in the facility for more than 15 years.

During the visit, he found the SMO chatting with the pharmacist and also noticed a complacent attitude in several senior staff. Following the incident, the UT health secretary Yashpal Garg on Sunday issued orders for transferring the senior medical officer of the Sector-33 HWC to the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH) in Sector 16.

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Other than the SMO, he also noticed that a peon dispensed medicine. Even after getting a promotion, the SMO kept on working in that dispensary for the last 22 years, reports Times of India. During the last inspection, most of the senior medical officers and medical officers were spotted sleeping on duty.

These doctors and paramedical employees have worked in the same hospitals for 12 to 20 years. According to sources, authorities now will ensure that all the transfers are carried out based on performance and not on the recommendation. Last year, an RTI (Right to Information) was filed by local activist R K Garg and the study revealed that the health department had over 420 people on one post in one centre for more than five years, with some of them working there since 1989. Some of the staff members have even served on only one post for their total service period.

The investigation disclosed that 49 members of the nursing staff who were the oldest employees brought in Chandigarh have been serving the facility since 1991, while the city had seven medical officers since 2004. The highest number working since 1984 was of the Class-IV employees. Their strength was 106, while 31 medical officers from Punjab joined the healthcare of the city since 2003, reports TOI.

Taking cognizance of the situation, the UT health department decided to investigate the matter. UT health secretary Yashpal Garg said: "The excuse that Punjab and Haryana have not sent the panels cannot be accepted, as we have also not relieved the doctors on the completion of their tenure. Some doctors were deputed to the city for 25 to 30 years and relieved on the day of retirement. We need to break the nexus and start relieving them on the completion of deputation."

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