Bihar govt docs’ body supports 65 facing heat for absence

The state health department issued orders on November 16 withholding one annual increment of 65 doctors, who were allegedly missing from their place of posting on the day of the mega camp. Their absence contributed to poor vaccination coverage in their respective areas on the day, health officials said.

The Bihar Health Services Association (BHSA), a forum of government doctors, has cautioned the state health department for taking action against 65 medical officers, in-charge of primary and community health centres, for their alleged absence from duty during the Covid-19 vaccination mega camp in the state on October 18.

Bihar had administered over 75.61 million vaccination doses till Monday afternoon against its target to inoculate 73.44 million eligible adult population with two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. (HT File)

The state health department issued orders on November 16 withholding one annual increment of 65 doctors, who were allegedly missing from their place of posting on the day of the mega camp. Their absence contributed to poor vaccination coverage in their respective areas on the day, health officials said.

The said doctors also did not respond to the show-cause notice within the stipulated 48-hour period, the health department had given them to explain.

However, the doctors claimed that many did not receive any show-cause notice and had no idea about the mechanism the department adopted to check their presence at their respective workstations.

“Many doctors have told us that they never received the government’s show-cause notice. Civil surgeons in some districts like Saran are getting examined the issue of show-cause notice to doctors. Some doctors have told us that they present at their workplace and had yet been marked absent. Others have said they were on field duty for a brief time. We have asked doctors, who feel they have been wrongly faulted, to write to us so that we take up their case with the additional chief secretary and request him not to penalise the doctors,” said BHSA officiating general secretary Dr Ranjit Kumar.

“It is the doctors who work their hearts out and are at the forefront of fighting the pandemic, but are relegated to the background when it comes to giving credit for the good work done either in controlling the pandemic or increasing the vaccination coverage,” he added.

Dr Abbas Hasrat, a member of the BHSA said a delegation of doctors was contemplating meeting Bihar’s additional chief secretary, health, and request him not to take any coercive action against the doctors.

BHSA member, Dr Rohit Kumar, posted at Saran, said, “We may give the government one week time to reconsider its decision and will convene another meeting on November 28 to decide our future course of action.”

Among the doctors facing the heat are 10 from Katihar district, five from Madhubani, four each from Purnia, Samastipur, Bhojpur and Begusarai, three each from Darbhanga, Madhepura, Munger, two each from Patna, Jamui, Gopalganj, Kishanganj, Supaul, Saran, Nalanda and one each from Banka, Araria, Nawada, Sitamarhi, Vaishali, Aurangabad, Bhagalpur, Rohtas, Khagaria, East Champaran and Buxar districts.

Bihar had administered over 75.61 million vaccination doses till Monday afternoon against its target to inoculate 73.44 million eligible adult population with two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. As many as 52.65 million people had taken the first dose and 22.96 million had completed both the shots

.