Medical Officer, storekeeper fined for storing new furniture on roof

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 22

Tightening noose around erring medical staff, Minister for Health and Medical Education Choudhary Lal Singh today paid a surprise visit to the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), Jammu, and imposed on-the-spot fine of Rs 20,000 on Medical Officer (MO), Stores, and Rs 2,000 on storekeeper for dereliction of their duties.

Choudhary Lal Singh inspected various sections in the directorate, including provincial drug store, tuberculosis drug supply store, leprosy section, establishment section, epidemiologist section, malaria section, entomological section, NCD cell and medical fitness and death record section.

The minister also took a serious note of storing newly purchased furniture like operation theatre trolleys, dressing stools, steel benches, patient beds, bedside lockers, foot-support steps, stretcher trolley on the roof of the building resulting in its damage due to rain.

Choudhary Lal Singh also imposed fine of Rs 500 each on six officials of the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu, who were without identity cards and Rs 5,000 on Chief Medical Officer for not asking the staff members to display their identity cards during duty hours.

He asked the employees to display their identity cards properly and maintain proper dress code and cleanliness in the offices.

Director, Health Services, Dr Baljeet Singh Pathania, Director, Family Welfare, Dr Baldev Raj Sharma, Mission Director, NHRM, Dr Yash Pal Sharma, Project Director, AIDS Control Society, Dr Mohan Singh, Store Tuberculosis Officer Dr Ajay Kumar Gupta and other senior officers of medical and health departments accompanied the minister.

Choudhary Lal Singh directed the Director, Health Services, to immediately supply hospital furniture to health institutions of the Jammu province located in far-off areas. He directed the directorate to write off all the unserviceable stocked goods within 10 days under proper norms.

The minister asked the Director, Health Services, to properly check expiry date of drugs, disposable syringes and other goods before the supply of drugs to the hospitals so that people do not face any inconvenience.

Later, Choudhary Lal Singh also distributed long-pending J&K State Medical Faculty Diplomas to the students of 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 batches who had passed their FMPHW, MMPHW, medical assistant, X-ray assistant, dental assistant, sub-inspector and dental hygiene courses.