M A I N   N E W S

One hospital employs, another pays
From Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, Sept 8 — In gross violation of the manual of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESI) medical, the Punjab Government has ordered that the salaries of as many as 89 doctors be drawn from places where they are not working.

As per the orders issued by Mr P.K. Verma, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Dr Gita Ram, posted at the Civil Hospital, Badal, the native village of the Chief Minister, will now draw his salary from the ESI Hospital, Nawanshahr.

Dr Sujata Sharma posted at MLA Hostel, Chandigarh, will get her salary from ESI Hospital, Amritsar. Similarly, Dr Satbir Kaur, posted at MLA Hostel, Chandigarh, will get her salary from the Community Health Centre, Sangrur.

Dr Andesh posted at the Civil Hospital, SAS Nagar, will get his pay from the subsidiary health centre at Dayalpura (Sangrur). Dr Vijay Kumar posted at the Civil Hospital, Kharar, will draw his salary from ESI Hospital, Hoshiarpur. Dr Ravneet Kaur, Civil Hospital, Kharar, will get her pay from ESI Hospital, Hoshiarpur, while Dr Ajaypal Singh of Primary Health Centre, Nurpur Bedi, will get his salary from ESI Hospital, Hoshiarpur.

Dr Sobha Ram, Civil Hospital, Muktsar, will get his salary from ESI Hospital, Gurdaspur, while Dr Harjinder Singh, Civil Hospital, Gidderbaha, will get her salary from ESI Hospital, Kapurthala.

Dr Sukhdev Saini, Civil Hospital, Mini Secretariat, will get his salary from ESI Hospital, Hoshiarpur, while Dr Purnima Sehgal posted at Civil Dispensary, Mini Secretariat, Chandigarh, will get her salary from ESI Hospital, Sangrur.

The rest of the doctors posted at Jalandhar will get their salaries from ESI Hospital, Ludhiana, while doctors posted in Civil Hospital, Tarn Taran, Ajnala, will draw salaries from ESI, Amritsar.

As many as eight doctors posted in Patiala district will get their salaries from ESI Hospital, Kapurthala. Some posted in Ropar district will get their salaries from Rajpura and Hoshiarpur. Three doctors of Muktsar will get their salaries from ESI Hospital, Gurdaspur.

As many as 90 doctors from SPI hospitals all over the state were declared ‘surplus’ under the “rationalisation” policy. This had earned the wrath of trade unions and the labour class. While the ESI Corporation earmarks more than 80 per cent of the funds to run these hospitals and dispensaries, the contribution of the state is almost negligible. By declaring the 90 doctors ‘surplus’, the functioning of ESI hospitals and dispensaries were adversely affected.

What is worse, senior staff members of the ESIs have been ordered to draw salaries against sanctioned posts of senior officials. Some have been posted against vacant posts of drivers and technicians. The local hospital authorities have said that the recently posted staff is not required and, hence, be posted at some other place.

On the other hand, the ESI Hospital, Amritsar, is short of a Medical Superintendent and four Medical Officers. There is a vacancy for Medical Officer in the ESI dispensary.

The ESI Hospital at Amritsar is still confused as to whom they should give salaries as the state government has ordered salaries to 16 doctors. The hospital has sought a clarification from the state in this regard. Neither does the hospital know how many doctors of the hospital have been rendered “surplus”.

Mr Dev Raj Sharma, general secretary, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, has criticised the “arbitrary” orders of the state government on salaries. He has alleged that the orders are illegal and in gross violation of the ESI manual. “Though the state government had claimed that it would save Rs 4 crore by declaring 90 doctors surplus, yet the ESI won’t stand benefited as they will continue to get salaries from ESI at the cost of poor workers”, he has said.

The orders of the Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare read: “All other existing orders of arrangement for drawing of pay of surplus doctors working at stations without sanctioned posts, including orders under which posts have been shifted from one station to another station for this purpose, are hereby cancelled”. The orders directs the Civil Surgeons concerned, Medical Superintendents SMOs or ESI Hospitals to ensure that the directions of the state government are implemented.