Doctors posted at rural, tribal areas to get relieving date?

To ensure that doctors in the state agree to work in remote or tribal areas, the Maharashtra government is considering mentioning the date on which they would be

To ensure that doctors in the state agree to work in remote or tribal areas, the Maharashtra government is considering mentioning the date on which they would be relieved from the posting in their transfer orders.

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Officials said that as doctors would be assured that they will be relieved from the posting within a specific period, they would be expected to agree to work in remote areas.

The proposal was discussed in a review meeting of the public health department, held by the chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray on Monday.

A senior officials from the department, who present at the meeting, said CM was “keen” on improving the public health system and asked the department to come out with ideas and plans towards achieving it. “The idea was proposed as doctors are not too keen on joining duty in tribal or remote areas. CM has liked the idea. If the relieving dates are mentioned on the transfer orders of the doctors, they will see it as some kind of a guarantee from the state that they will be relieved from the posting in a period of two to three years. State like Orissa have such a system in place,” said the official.

Thackeray also directed the officials to undertake a preventive pneumonia vaccination campaign for children in

Palghar, Nashik, Nandurbar, Amravati and Gadchiroli, during which 1.4 lakh children will be vaccinated.