No Civil Surgeon in Karnal, post of top doc lying vacant for eight months

The Karnal Health Department has been operating without a regular Civil Surgeon for the past three months. The post of the Principal Medical Officer  is also lying vacant for the last eight months. Both the posts, as per the officials, are essential for the smooth functioning of the district’s health services and the delay in filling these posts has been affecting operations.

At present, the Civil Surgeon’s post has been temporarily assigned to the Civil Surgeon of Kaithal district. However, officials said that managing health services across two major districts poses significant challenges. The Civil Surgeon’s responsibilities include looking after the district's healthcare programmes, monitoring public health facilities and ensuring the effective implementation of health policies. The post has been vacant since August 6, following the promotion of the former Civil Surgeon, Dr Krishan Kumar, to Director Health, who is now an MLA from Bawal. Similarly, the Principal Medical Officer post has been unfilled since the previous Principal Medical Officerretired on April 1.

An official revealed that while the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) was covering daily operations at the District Civil Hospital, the absence of a regular Principal Medical Officer creates gaps in long-term planning and management.

The Opposition has criticised the delay and demanded immediate filling of both the main posts. “Karnal is a key district, and it is surprising that both main posts have been vacant for several months, which is impacting health services,” said Manoj Wadhwa, former deputy mayor and senior Congress leader. “The government must act quickly to fill these posts to improve healthcare services,” he added.

Newly elected MLA Jagmohan Anand assured that the issue would soon be resolved, adding that, “I have discussed this matter with the Chief Minister, and both posts will be filled shortly.”