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Health activists demand reinstatement of Tukaram Mundhe as NHM director
In an official transfer order issued on November 30, Mundhe was ordered to hand over his charge to the principal secretary, state health department
After Tukaram Mundhe was shunted within just two months of taking charge as the director of the National Health Mission (NHM), health activists are appealing to citizens to send more than a lakh emails to the Chief Minister demanding the reinstatement of Mundhe as the commissioner of NHM, Maharashtra.
In an official transfer order issued on November 30, Mundhe was ordered to hand over his charge to the principal secretary, State Health Department.
After taking office in October, the feted bureaucrat directed district health officers, civil surgeons, and deputy directors of health across Maharashtra to conduct surprise visits to primary health care centres and rural hospitals to ensure that staff were present and that emergencies were being attended to late at night.
Mundhe had also issued a circular to health department staffers regarding office discipline. The circular stated that wages of health department staffers will not be paid unless the days worked are verified as per the biometric attendance system installed in the department.
Now, recalling the effective functioning of the department under Mundhe, Heramb Kulkarni, an Ahmednagar-based social activist, said in a video message that he was surprised to see doctors working night shifts at a hospital in Melghat owing to Mundhe’s stringent night inspections during his brief tenure.
“I work to prevent child marriages, and I was wondering whether health staff would be present during a recent visit to a remote health centre in Melghat.” I was surprised to see doctors present for the hospital’s night shifts. “I believe everyone should email the Maharashtra Chief Minister and demand that Mundhe be reinstated to improve the healthcare system,” Kulkarni urged.
