Now, committee to address doctors' issues

The Bihar health department has constituted a standing committee to deal with the myriad issues related to appointments, promotions and transfers of doctors in the state.

Confirming the development, principal health secretary, Vyasji said, the standing committee, which would also act as a think tank, would give its opinion on several vexed issues pending with the department for years.

While executive director of the state health society Sanjay Kumar would head the committee, director-in-chief of health services, Dr Surendra Prasad, would be one of its members, he added.

He said, the committee would meet on a weekly basis and discuss the relevant issues threadbare. On the 30th of every month, I will sit with the committee members and review the decisions for their final disposal,he said.

The principal secretary said that apart from addressing the monthly meeting of the standing committee, he would also hold discussions with his officers on every Monday to plan for the week. The purpose of the whole exercise is to build a system for smooth administrative procedures to clear cases before it,he said.

Vyasji said, several matters raised by doctors' unions made sense and should be discussed for their amicable solution. Notably, the Bihar state health services association (BSHSA) had at its recent meeting, raised many demands including the issue of regularisation of contractual doctors, effective implementation of doctors' protection act and dynamic assured career promotions for those who have been denied the same.

BSHSA office-bearers claim, that despite the enactment of the protection law, doctors were being thrashed by patients' attendants on a regular basis.

Also, the government should do away with the system of contractual appointment of doctors, they demanded. The association leaders have demanded immediate withdrawal of health department's recent orders including marking on attendance register and attaching residential proof with the salary bills.

We have absolutely no problem with these orders, provided they should be made applicable in the case of officers of other services," they maintained.