Rural medical officers to observe black day on Friday

The Rural Medical Services Association, Punjab, has announced that the government rural medical officers (RMOs) will observe black day on Doctors’ Day, i.e. July 1

The Rural Medical Services Association, Punjab, has announced that the government rural medical officers (RMOs) will observe black day on Doctors’ Day, i.e. July 1 to register their protest against successive state government’s “indifferent” approach towards the rural healthcare system.

The association in a statement said rural medical officers and paramedical staff working in rural areas for the last almost 16 years are struggling to get their rights. They have announced they will observe black day on Doctors’ Day. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/ Representational image)

The association demanded that the rural dispensaries should be developed into “pandu” (rural) mohalla clinics.

The association in a statement said rural medical officers and paramedical staff working in rural areas for the last almost 16 years are struggling to get their rights.

Dr JP Narula, state president of the association, said, “Despite the fact that the successive governments have shown empathy towards rural healthcare system, nothing substantial has been done on

ground”.

“As many 560 rural subsidiary health centres (SHCs) are operating under the rural development and panchayat department at present. In the recent past, 1,183 rural SHCs were functional under the RDP department in compliance with the 73rd constitutional amendment but the previous Congress government instead of

filling 489 vacancies shifted the vacant SHCs to the health department, most of which are now without medical officers,” Dr Narula said.

“The government should consider the up-gradation and strengthening of this existing rural health care system which is functional for almost two decades now,” he said and suggested that 489 SHCs shifted to the health department should be brought back under the PRIs and all these rural SHCs may be named as rural mohalla clinics after necessary upgradation as this will not only boost rural health but also strengthen the PRIs at the village level.

He urged chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to immediately look into the issue in the greater interest of the 63% rural population of the state.

As many as 1,186 rural SHCs along with primary health, veterinary and animal husbandry departments were shifted to the rural development department in 2006 to comply with the 73rd and 74th amendment to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the state.