Expert docs working as babus in Directorate Health Services!

Yogesh Mishra

Raipur, April 09, 2011

The specialist government doctors, who were supposed to treat patients at hospitals, are working as babus in Directorate Health services (DHS). Ironically, these doctors are holding the posts of incharge deputy directors for several years while the Health department is still searching their suitable and permanent replacements with administrative background.

In the backdrop of unusual allocation of jobs at DHS, it is really impossible to surmise whether the government lacks expert doctors or adequate administrative officials. It seems even the Health department has not set its priorities and is yet to ascertain whether to give importance to the people’s health or to the paper works.

Meanwhile, the Health department keeps on giving lame excuses for insufficient specialist doctors in hospitals and hardly shows interest in transferring the medical experts posted at DHS back to their real job. Due to the department’s apathy, the district hospitals, community health centres and sub-health centres fail to provide the basic treatment facilities to the patients, especially those belonging to the financially weaker section.

The specialist doctors at DHS too appear non-serious towards their actual profession and instead they give preference to administrative jobs because of high salary packages against ‘no work load’.

These doctors are also availing benefit of the all the facilities provided by the government, but they hardly payback in terms of service.

The government allows the assistant surgeons to pursue their post graduation degree and encumbers their entire study expenditure. They also get exemption from work during their study period while the government pays them full salary.

However, after obtaining degree, these doctors never remember their pledge to serve the patients; rather they exert influence to get themselves posted at administrative jobs.

In DHS, the doctors do the job of babus and receive the salary of medical specialists. Besides, they also get non-practicing allowance (NPA) which is 25 percent of the basic salary.

Recently, after drawing flak from all corners pertaining to poor health services in its hospitals, the government had announced to fill 1283 vacant posts of doctors by January 2012. There will be 475 specialist doctors out of the total appointed ones on ad hoc basis.

The specialist doctors who are posted at DHS headquarters are Dr Subhash Pandey – paediatrician, Dr Alka Gupta – gynecologist, Dr Surendra Pambhoi – tuberculosis expert, Dr BR Soni – surgeon, Dr Nagendra Singh Chandravanshi – radiologist and Dr SMM Murthy – pathologist, Dr V Jayprakash – State Programme Officer Malaria.