PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Uttarakhand Health department has made changes to 67 transfers of doctors following concerns raised by the Provincial Medical Health Services Association (PHMS). Informing about this, PHMS president Dr Raman Kunwar said that a total of 306 doctors were transferred in the State recently. However, after the list was released, it was found that some of the transfers were not in accordance with the provisions of the Uttarakhand Public Servants Annual Transfer Act, 2017.
Kunwar said that as per the act, every doctor is first required to complete 10 years of service in Durgam (Remote) areas before being posted to Sugam (Accessible/Plain) areas. But in the recent transfers, it was observed that several doctors who had already completed 10 years in Durgam areas were again posted to Durgam areas, which is a matter of concern.
He added that another provision states that doctors who have completed four years of service in one hospital in Sugam areas should be transferred to another hospital in Sugam areas. This was also not followed in several cases, he said.
Kunwar said that other violations included the transfer of doctors whose family members are suffering from serious illnesses. Around 36 cases of spouse/couple postings were also found to be incorrect, as both partners should ideally be posted in nearby hospitals. Considering the possible adverse impact of these transfers, the PHMS delegation met additional secretary of Health department Saurabh Gaharwar and apprised him of the issues. Kunwar said that the additional secretary listened to their concerns, which were raised after many doctors contacted the association regarding their transfers. As a result, out of the 306 transfers, 67 have been recently reconsidered as per the doctors’ requests/options.
He further expressed hope that another 15 to 20 transfer cases will also be reconsidered by the Health department soon.
