Shifting of pharmacists to hit rural vet services

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 21

With almost 35 per cent posts of government veterinary doctors and a large number of posts of pharmacist lying vacant in the Animal Husbandry Department, recent shifting of 400 pharmacists to hospitals in urban areas or big rural centres would further hit rural veterinary dispensaries.

The move is likely to hit the rural livestock care services badly. Due to shortage of veterinary doctors, rural veterinary dispensaries were being managed by inspectors. At present there are 1,424 sanctioned posts of veterinary officers out of which 500 are vacant. The situation is even worse at the top. There are 41 posts of specialist veterinary doctors and 27 posts of deputy directors, but all of them are vacant. Even last year, none of the senior doctors from the state was eligible for the post of director and it brought on deputation from Haryana.

The outcome of the situation was that the government handed over all 1,467 rural dispensaries to pharmacists. Now the government has even started withdrawing pharmacists. In the last one week, around 400 pharmacists were transferred to urban hospitals and big veterinary centres in rural areas. A large number of them have been given additional charge of dispensaries and have been asked to serve in dispensaries for three days a week.

The Punjab Veterinary Inspectors (Pharmacists) Association has called it a move to shut down all rural dispensaries. Nirmal Saini, president of the association, said: “With this move, the government wants to destroy the dairy sector.”

“The government should recruit more doctors and fill all vacant posts,” said Dr Ashok Kumar, president, Punjab State Veterinary Officers Association. Minister for Animal Husbandry Tript Rajinder Bajwa said the matter of transfer of pharmacists was brought to his knowledge recently. He has sought report from the officials. “Rural livestock care services won’t be compromised at any cost,” he added.