RTI activist urges Governor to disband useless UHC’s
Jammu: Terming Urban Health Centres as rehabilitation centres for blue eyed medicos, RTI activist has urged the Governor Satya Pal Malik to shut these white elephants which are causing huge loss to state exchequer.
Balvinder Singh, renowned RTI activist while sharing details about 15 UHC’s said that all these evening Clinics established in Jammu city, some years ago, as the brain child of some of the politicians and bureaucrats for absorbing their kith and kin well within the city.
Singh said that he inspected some of these UHC’s/evening Clincs, Gujjar Nagar, UHC Digiana, UHC Shastri Nagar, UHC Nanak Nagar, under RTI, during evening and UHC Janipur in the morning and found that patients with minor problem like headache, lower back pain, for dressing, for BP check comes there. Every UHC is heaving two or three M.O and ten to twelve other staff and government is unnecessary spending lacs of rupees for no use. Singh said Jammu City needs not these UHC’s and evening Clincs as there exists SMGS Hospital, Govt. Hospital Gandhi Nagar, Govt. Hospital Sarwal, Government Medical College and Hospital & Super Speciality Hospital so there is no need of these 15 Urban Health centres/Evening Clinics.
He also revealed that the tenure/posting detail of some of the doctors posted in these fifteen UHC’s/Evening Clinics who always managed their postings within two to fifteen kilometre radius of Jammu City.
As per information received under RTI Dr Sophia Jan M.O. managed all her posting within three kilometres of Jammu City. She remained posted in UHC Nanak Nagar for ten years from 2005 to 2015 and from 5/2015 to 6/2018 in UHC Shastri Nagar and again been transferred to UHC Nanak Nagar from 7/2018 till date.
Dr Mehmooda Begum M.O. R/o Rajouri, remained posted in Associated Hospital Jammu for 16 years, from 08/1997 to 03/2013 and from 04/2013 to 09/2016 in DHS office as M.O. and from 10/2016 till date in UHC Nanak Nagar.
Dr Kiran Kailoo M.O. Presently posted in UHC Talab Tillo out of 26 years & 8 months of her whole Service with only short tenure of eight months at Udhampur spend 26 years within the radius of ten kilometres of Jammu City.
Dr Poonam Sethi M.O. remained posted in Jammu City throughout her service tenure of 26 years 8 months.
Dr Rachna Bhagat M.O. presently posted in UHC/Evening clinic Janipur, out of 13 years & 3 months of service except with a short tenure of 9 months in DH Doda remained posted in Jammu District for 12 years 6 months.
Dr Sonia Gupta M.O. presently posted in UHC Digiana, out of 13 years 02 months of service, except a short posting of 7 months at Kathua remained posted within the radius of 10 kilometres of Jammu city for 12 years 5 months.
Dr Kiran Chib M.O. presently posted in UHC/Evening Clinic at Sainik Colony remained posted within the radius of 10 kilometres of Jammu City during her whole posting of 13 years & 3 months.
Dr Radhika Nargotra M.O. remained posted in District Jammu for her whole service of 21 years like in Jammu High Court Complex, DHS Jammu, GMC, CMO office Jammu and presently posted in UHC Roop Nagar.
Dr Monika M.O. presently posted in UHC Roop Nagar remained posted in District Jammu during her whole service of 13 years.
Singh said that the full tenure detail of some of the doctors posted in these UHC’s/Evening Clinics shows how influential these doctors are as they have never been transferred to hilly and remote areas where there is acute shortage of doctors, even after completing their normal tenure, due to their political connection. Mr Singh further said that on the one side 184 PHC’s/ CHC’s out of 259 are running without doctors while on the other hand most of the influential doctors managed their postings in these 15 UHC’s /evening clinics and in some cases goes on deputation in the associated Hospitals of H&ME department so that they should remain in Jammu in violation of Article 52-C of CSR Vol. I, the period of deputation in any case should not exceed three years which may be extended by one year but the total period shall not exceed a period of four years.
Singh urged upon Governor to immediately intervene and close all these fifteen UHC’s/Evening Clincs which have virtually became the ‘Rehabilitation Centres’for the influential Doctors and send these doctors and paramedics in the periphery where there is acute shortage of doctors to provide better health care facilities to the people there.