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| Healthcare in rural Kashmir goes to dogs as Director appoints doctors as nodal officers | | Leaves for home early pretending to attend meetings | | Jehangir Rashid
Early times report
SRINAGAR, Jan 2: The healthcare system in the rural and far flung areas of Kashmir valley has gone to dogs since there is no accountability. The head of the department has no time to visit the hospitals and other health centres in the valley.
Sources told Early Times that matters have been made worse due to the placement of some medical officers as nodal officers at the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir. Due to the placement of nodal officers the functioning of the health institutions being looked after by them has been severely affected.
“It is no less than a shame that some of the female doctors working in the health department have been appointed as nodal officers at Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir. These officers have to report in the office of Director Health Services Kashmir at 10 AM without any fail,” said sources.
Sources said that on most of the days these nodal officers pass the day in the office chamber of Director Health Services Kashmir and don’t go to the health institutions where they are posted. As such the doctors as well as other staff members of these health institutions come and leave the office according to their own will.
“The peripheral healthcare system is in shambles and the basic reason for the same is lack of accountability. The Director has no time to visit the health institutes located in the peripheries and check for himself the loopholes existing in the system. Nothing positive is happening in the field. Fact of the matter is that instead of moving forward the health department is going backwards in Kashmir,” said sources.
Sources said that there was no need to appoint the nodal officers since there are officers already looking after the affairs for which they have been placed. The placement of nodal officers has been done in contravention of laid down rules and regulations much to the discomfiture of senior doctors of the department.
“One of the nodal officers has been asked to look after the dentistry aspect of the healthcare system. This aspect is already being looked after by a senior doctor who has been given the charge of Deputy Director Dentistry. The appointment of nodal officers has been done according to the wish of the Director without compliance of rules and regulations,” said sources.
Sources said that the Director usually leaves his office in the afternoon and does not come back. He conveys to his personal staff that since he is attending a meeting he won’t be able to return to office. This has resulted into a situation where the important matters at the Directorate keep on piling with every passing day, said sources.
“One fails to understand how many meetings are being attended by the Director Health in a day and that too on daily basis. Since the Director is not available in his office couple of senior doctors go to his residence and get the signatures on the files that require his attention,” said sources.
It would be in place to mention here that few months back Director Health appointed Dr. Bashir Ahmad Chalkoo as the Divisional Nutrition Officer (DNO). The promotion was unjustified since a public health expert is discharging his duties in the department and he was the apt person to be appointed on the post of DNO.
Sources said that Dr. S M Kadri should have been the responsibility of DNO since he is an expert in the field of public health. Instead of this the public health expert was appointed as Assistant Director, Rehbar-I-Sehat while as Dr. Chalkoo was given the all important assignment of DNO Kashmir.
Sources said that Director Health Services Kashmir has showered yet another benefit on Dr. Chalkoo since he has been transferred and posted on the all important position of Deputy Director (Headquarters). A recent order issued by Director Health Services Kashmir has directed Dr. Chalkoo to join the department as in-charge Deputy Director (Headquarters) till the post is filled.
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