Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) has asked the Health Secretary to intervene immediately and cancel an order issued by the Madurai Collector appointing officers of other government departments to monitor the performance of primary health centres (PHCs) and the medical officers. The association has warned of protests if the order is not withdrawn.
In the order, the Collector appointed zonal officers, including Revenue Divisional Officers, District Supply Officer, District Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare Officer, District Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Officer and Special Deputy Collectors, to conduct periodic inspections of the PHCs.
During the inspections, the zonal officers were told to pay attention to availability of human resources, review daily outpatient numbers, analyse number of referrals made and reasons for referrals, track number of deliveries and assess maternal and child care services. They should evaluate implementation of various health programmes and inspect overall infrastructure, water supply, toilets, maintenance of medical equipment and stock of essential drugs.
In its statement, the SDPGA condemned the order and said the Collector, as the head of all departments in a district, could monitor. Without filling the huge number of vacant posts of medical officers, nurses and other workers, monitoring staff attached to the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine through other department staff was condemnable.
The association asked whether the medical officers or the Health Department officials would be appointed to check if all staff members of taluk offices and revenue divisional offices were at work or to check if they were serving the public without demanding bribes.
Such an order ridiculed doctors, Deputy Directors and Joint Directors of Health Services. The SDPGA urged the Health Secretary to cancel the order and to advise Collectors to ensure that such things did not occur again.
