Phagwara, April 16
The Doctors Federation of India (Docsfed) and Punjab Civil Medical Service- Class I (PCMS-I) Association have expressed serious concern over the deteriorating health services in the state.

They said the sad state of affairs prevailed despite the Union Government pumping in more than Rs 1,000 crore through the National Rural Health Mission.

In a press release issued here today, Dr DC Sharma, president of the Docsfed and general secretary of the PCMS-I Association, and Dr Shashi Pandhi, treasurer of the association, said the doctors’ bodies are shocked to note the fall in the health indicators of Punjab during five years (2005-10), which have been examined by the CAG (Comptroller & Auditor General of India).

They said there has been an increase in maternal mortality rate (MMR) from 176 per one lakh births in 2005-06 to 192 in 2009-10 and the target of 100 by 2012 seems impossible.

Further, infant mortality rate (IMR) was 42 per one thousand births in 2005-06 which increased to 44 in 2007-08 and 43 in 2008-09, with a marginal decrease to 41 in 2009-10. The target of 30 by 2012 looks impractical, they said.

They said total fertility rate (number of children per woman) rose from 2.00 in 2005-06 to 2.10 in 2009-10, indicating collapse of Family Welfare Programme in the state.

They alleged that the Health Department is in a shambles due to a large number of posts of Senior Medical Officers, Deputy Directors and higher posts including the three posts of Directors kept deliberately vacant.

They termed it a mischief of the bureaucracy in connivance with the Health Minister to create a situation in future so that there are no eligible candidates available in the PCMS-I cadre for the posts of Directors and Additional Directors of Health Services. And the junior bureaucrats could be given the charges of these posts as was done by Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla who gave the charge of Director, Health Services (ESI), to a PCS officer.

They accused that the bureaucracy has already manipulated to capture the posts of Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission, Punjab; the Managing Director, Punjab Health Systems Corporation and the Project Director, AIDS Control Society, Punjab, the posts which are absolutely technical posts and should have been held by senior doctors of PCMS-I cadre.

He said more than half of the top 40 posts of doctors (Deputy Directors & above) in the Punjab Health Department are lying vacant and Principal Secretary Health Satish Chandra had publicly committed in January to hold DPC meetings in February to fill up the vacant posts but the commitment remained unfulfilled.

“What can be more intriguing and distressing for the Health Department that all the three posts of the Director (Health & Family Welfare), Director (Health Services-Social Insurance), Director, (Health Services-Family Welfare), have been vacant though there is no dearth of eligible candidates.

The post of Director, Health & Family Welfare, has been vacant since April 2010 while the post of Director ESI has been vacant since December 2009 and the post of Director, (Health Services-Family Welfare), has been vacant for the last two years.

They said there are just 40 posts in the ranks above the Senior Medical Officers, in a cadre of over 3,500 in the PCMS-I cadre in the Punjab Health Department.

Dr Sharma said out of these 40 posts, 21 posts are lying vacant.

They alleged that the Health Department convened a meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee a year back and promoted some doctors to the posts of Deputy Directors in light of the civil writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, filed by the Senior PCMS Association.

No meeting of the DPC has been held after that. 

Jalandhar, April 16
The Haq-e-Aman Yatra, a multi-religious peace march to promote the religious tolerance and to create an environment to resolve the communal conflicts through dialogue, reached Jalandhar on Saturday.

The yatra, which includes representatives of various Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Gandhian organisations, commenced yesterday from Kali Bein at Sultanpur Lodhi from where Guru Nanak Dev started his First Udasi.

On its way, after organising discussions at Darul Uloom Deoband, a prestigious Islamic school, and at various religious places at Bareily, a known centre of Sufism, the march would culminate at Kabir Chauraha, on the banks of Ganges at Varanasi on April 27.

Talking to The Tribune, Bhai Daya Singh, who is leading the march, said the Yatra would promote the idea that the liberal dialogue was the only solution to deal with the specter of religious intolerance, which is looming over the country since the past three decades and had instilled the feeling of insecurity and marginalisation among the religious minorities.

Jalandhar, April 16
The dealers of the Verka milk threatened to suspend the sale of all products if the Verka management did not increase the commission rates on the sale of milk in the next 15 days.

More than 30 dealers from Jalandhar and surrounding areas gathered here today and demanded that the commission should be increased from the existing 45 paisa to 75 paisa per packet.

They said it was impossible to meet even the logistic expenses on the current commission offered by the Verka.

Raising the same demand, over 100 dealers had suspended the sale of Verka milk for a day, few months ago, but to no avail.

As one day is not sufficient to move the authorities, this time, we would suspend the sale for not less that a week, said Balwant Singh, Secretary, Verka Milk Bar Welfare Association, Jalandhar.

Balwant Singh said citing the increasing input cost, the Verka has increased milk prices for many times since the past two years.

However, the commission rates given to dealers are stagnant for the past few years, claimed Balwant.

He claimed that over 200 Verka milk bars in and around Jalandhar would participate in the sale suspension. 

Hoshiarpur, April 16
Four persons were killed in separate road accidents in Hoshiarpur and Nakodar.Baldev Singh of Moonak, riding a scooter, was hit by a vehicle at Tanda on Friday. He was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Tanda, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Pedestrian Revail Chand of Dhoot Kalan, who was hit by scooter, breathed his last in a hospital.

Gurdip Singh of Ralhan was killed when a vehicle hit scooter near Dasuya.

The police has registered separate cases under relevant sections of the IPC in this connection.

Harbans Singh was killed after being run over by a goods train in a Billi Chahrmi village in Nakodar.