SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 23: Doctors on deputation in Deoghar- Basukinath Shravani Mela are in a mess to perform duty due to a lack of basic facilities to live.
JHSA to meet Health Minister
Rattled by chaotic arrangements in the Mela for doctors, a delegation of the Jharkhand Health Service Association (JHSA), the frontal organization of government doctors, will meet Health Minister Banna Gupta to make him aware of the crisis being faced by medical officers there.
JHSA state president Dr PP Sah today said that they will meet the health minister tomorrow over facilities for doctors at Shravani Mela and the implementation of other demands.
“The Principal Secretary Health (Ajay Kumar Singh) implemented some of the demands, including exemption of lady doctors from deputation in Deoghar- Dumka Shravani Mela and he also assured to do more. But some demands, including TA/ DA to doctors deployed at Shravani Mela, are pending. So, we will talk over it with the health minister,” said Sah.
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200 doctors are on deputation
A total of 200 medical officers from across the state are put on deputation in the month-long state Shravani Mela in two phases (July 21 to August 5 and August 5 to August 19).
But reports reaching the state headquarters said doctors have not been given proper basic facilities to live and attend duty smoothly.
A doctor from Deoghar today said that they are gazetted officers for name shake but the reality is that they have been given facilities worse than what a constable gets in the barrack.
“This is not the first time albeit every year we get similar treatment all 15 days during deputation despite the special arrangement directive of the health secretary,” said the doctor requesting anonymity.
‘JHSA office bearers dump TA/DA issue to get relief from deputation’
Meanwhile, some medical officers, requesting anonymity, have charged that the JHSA office bearers dumped the Shravani Mela TA/ DA issue to get their names omitted from the deputation list.
“Doctors have not been paid TA/DA since the year 2000 i.e. creation of Jharkhand state for Shravani Mela deputation while personnel of other departments are paid. The JHSA makes it an issue every year but does not talk with the minister,” said a medical officer.
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