Jaipur: Govt to reinstate 600 docs on urgent temporary basis: The health department received approval from the finance department to reinstate 600 doctors who were previously dismissed due to budgetary limitations.
TOI earlier reported on April 4 about the difficulties faced by patients following the departure of these 600 doctors who were serving on an urgent temporary basis in various hospitals.
“We appealed to the finance department for reinstating 600 doctors. Now, it has given approval for the extension of the services of the doctors appointed on an urgent temporary basis,” said Dr Ravi Prakash Sharma, director (public health), health department.
The department is facing a shortage of doctors in the absence of those whose services were discontinued from April 1, as the finance department did not give approval for the extension of the doctors.
There was, thus, a sudden and acute shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas where these doctors were serving in primary health centres.
“We had 16 doctors in Chittorgarh on an urgent temporary basis, but they were removed on April 1. These 16 doctors were deployed in primary health centres and community health centres. Following their services being discontinued, we faced difficulty in managing the facilities in these health centres,” said a senior health department official in Chittorgarh.
These 600 doctors are deployed, evenly distributed among districts depending on their requirements.
A health department official said the approval has been granted by the finance department only for reinstating those doctors who were earlier working on UTB, and no new doctor on UTB is allowed. Since the threat of seasonal diseases and heat-related illnesses is looming large, and the shortage of doctors could cripple healthcare facilities in the state, the health department appealed to the finance department to give financial approval for the continuation of these 600 doctors.
