Move to divest IAS officers of NHM director’s post

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 29

Move is afoot to take away the post of Mission Director (MD) of the National Health Mission (NHM) in Haryana from bureaucrats and instead appoint a senior director of the Health Department with a medical background to the post.

Sources said a proposal which had a strong backing of Health Minister Anil Vij had been sent to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Confirming the move, Vij said: “The department is of the view that several health schemes in the state are to be implemented by the NHM. However, since the MD of the NHM is an IAS officer, there remains a lack of coordination between the department and the organisation that eventually hits the implementation of programmes. Further, since the government keeps shifting IAS officers, there is no continuity in the manner programmes are implemented”. The Health Minister said he, too, was of the opinion that a person from a medical background would be better for implementing the health programmes.

“This will not only improve functioning of the NHM but also remove an anomaly that has crept in ever since the NMH (earlier NRHM) has come into existence. Ideally, the Director-General,Health Services, is senior to the MD, NHM. But since the latter post is occupied by an IAS officer, the incumbent always considered himself or herself superior to the department’s head,” said a senior officer.

Meanwhile, some bureaucrats said the post of MD in the NHM was a cadre post and the government would be deviating from the rules if it gave it to a non-IAS officer. The decision would not withstand legal scrutiny, said a senior IAS officer.