Delay in appointments hits health dept’s functioning
State health department seems to be in a mess due to delay in promotions and appointment of officers on various significant positions. The delay has hampered the administrative works immensely.
State health department seems to be in a mess due to delay in promotions and appointment of officers on various significant positions. The delay has hampered the administrative works immensely.
Uttarakhand State AIDS Control Society (USACS) the lone body responsible for detection, sensitization, and medical care of HIV and AIDS patients is without a project director (PD) for more than a year.
Only a week ago, additional secretary Dr Neeraj Khairwal, who is also the mission director of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), was appointed the project director of the society.
Khairwal hasn’t visited USACS office till date, say insiders.
About a year ago, Piyush Singh was in-charge of USACS. Singh had other key departments to look after -- like medical education, secretariat administration, disaster management, World Bank projects etc. Due to his pre-occupation, several significant HIV/AIDS projects were put on backburner.
Additional project director USACS Dr RK Pandey said: “Work in USACS has been affected as several files are lined up for approval. We are unable to take decisions and work smoothly.”
The project director is responsible for review of USACS, utilisation of funds; keeping checks over NGOs responsible for identification, sensitization and facilitation of various projects for the benefit and support of people living with HIV/AIDS. But, all these works are not happening right now.
To top it all, the health department has been embroiled in several cases filed by officials for the post of director general health.
For instance, Dr RK Pant was appointed DG health only after he knocked the doors of HC, as his grouse was that the promotions were not done timely and his seniority had been overlooked too. He took charge on January 10, 2013 and retired on January 31.
Thereafter, Dr Yogesh Sharma took over the charge on February 1, 2013 and retired on August 30, 2013. Later, Dr JS Pangati, the senior-most officer serving as director Kumaon, wasn’t appointed DG health and the charge was temporarily handed over to Dr GS Joshi.
Pangati then filed PIL in HC in September 2013 and thereafter was appointed as DG health on October 2013. He retired from the post on February 28, 2014 and Dr GS Joshi took over the charge on March 1, 2014.
“Delay in promotions is a reason behind delay in appointments on key posts at the top level,” said Joshi, DG health.