150 absentee doctors, nurses face the axe

The Punjab Government has decided to terminate the services of government doctors and nurses who are absent from duty for long. There are about 150 doctors and nurses who had gone abroad on ex-India leave for a limited period, but did not return.

“We have discussed this issue at a cabinet meeting and decided to dispense with the services of such employees,” said Health and Family Welfare Minister Madan Mohan Mittal. “I have directed the Director, Health services, to issue a public notice in this regard,” he said. “There were also government doctors who have been absent from duty, but engaged in private practice. Such doctors have been directed to report back immediately. In case, they failed to do so, their services will also be terminated,” said Mittal.

“My aim is to ensure the presence of doctors in civil hospitals and dispensaries,” he said, adding: “Doctors who will serve in remote areas for three years will be given a posting at a station of their choice”. At present, there were 400 vacant posts of doctors and 600 of nurses.

“We recently recruited 425 doctors and have planned to fill all vacant posts at the earliest,” the minister said, adding the Health Department had developed its own network of gathering information regarding the sale of illegal drugs by chemists at various places.

“We are getting useful information through our network and have conducted raids to seize drugs,” he said. To maintain a stock of medicines in civil hospitals and dispensaries, Rs 200 crore had been allocated to the department.

Mittal said the department would set up drug de-addiction centres at Faridkot, Bathinda, Patiala, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ludhiana by spending Rs 30 crore. “Senior doctors of the PGI have prepared a plan for setting up such centres, which will function under the supervision of medical colleges,” he added.

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