Jharkhand Health Services Assn breaks tradition on president selection, again
SUBHASH MISHRA Ranchi, Dec 30: The Jharkhand Health Services Association (JHSA), the leading organisation representing state government doctors, has once again…
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SUBHASH MISHRA
Ranchi, Dec 30: The Jharkhand Health Services Association (JHSA), the leading organisation representing state government doctors, has once again broken its long-standing tradition of unanimously selecting the Director-in-Chief (DIC) of Health as its president.
The election process for the 2024-26 JHSA committee has commenced. This election will determine 19 office-bearers, including the president, secretary, convener, treasurer, eight vice presidents, and seven joint secretaries. The polls are scheduled for January 20.
Historically, the JHSA has always selected the senior-most medical officer or the Director-in-Chief of Health as its president through unanimous consensus. This practice dates back to 2001 when the first JHSA committee was formed. At that time, two senior-most medical officers, Dr. Praveen Chandra and Dr. Sumant Mishra, were unanimously selected as president and secretary, respectively.
Later, Dr. Sumant Mishra became the president, and Dr. Praveen Chandra took on the role of secretary, both setting a high standard for future leadership. Even after their retirement, it became customary for the serving Director-in-Chief of Health to be elected as the unopposed president of JHSA.
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Breaking Tradition in 2022
This tradition, however, was disrupted in the 2022 JHSA elections. Despite being the senior-most medical officer and a natural candidate for the role, the then Director-in-Chief of Health, Dr. Krishna Kumar Singh, was not unanimously selected as president. While most key members of JHSA favoured his presidency, Dr. Singh stipulated that he would only accept the position if chosen unopposed.
The JHSA election committee, led by Dr. Lal Majhi, did not attempt to reach a consensus for a unanimous selection. As a result, the post of president was contested, and Dr. P.P. Sah was elected through a vote.
No Offer Made to Current DIC, Dr. CK Sahi
A similar situation is unfolding in the 2024 elections. No efforts have been made for a unanimous selection of the president. As per JHSA tradition, the current Director-in-Chief of Health, Dr. CK Sahi, who is also the senior-most medical officer in the state, should have been approached for the role.
When contacted on Sunday, Dr. Sahi acknowledged the tradition but stated that no one had approached him with a proposal to become president.
Chief Election Commissioner Dr. Lal Majhi (Deputy Director of Health) was unavailable for comment. However, Dr. Bimlesh Kumar Singh, who has served as JHSA secretary for over a decade and is now contesting for the president’s post, argued that there is no rigid rule mandating a unanimous selection of the president.
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Members Favour Following Tradition
Senior JHSA members from Ranchi, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Deoghar, and other districts have expressed dissatisfaction with breaking tradition. They believe that selecting the DIC as president would have strengthened the association’s ability to address the challenges faced by medical officers in the state.
As the election date approaches, it remains to be seen whether the JHSA will uphold its legacy or continue with this new approach to leadership selection.
