Sick Rural Health Dispensaries in Punjab, Rural MOs demand merger with Health Department
Inconsistent medicinal supply in rural dispensaries for the last two years
Health services will improve after the merger : Nikhil
Ferozepur, March 6: The Rural Medical Officers (RMOs) working under the administrative control of Rural Development Department have demanded their merger into the Health Department.
Earlier also, RMOs – under the aegis of Rural Medical officers Association (PRMOA)- have organized protests throughout the State and submitted memorandum of demands to the higher authorities which include equal facilities and rights as being given to PCMS doctors in the Health Department of the Punjab Government.
Nkhil Gupta, RMO Vice President PRMOA said, recently various cadres have been merged with their respective parent departments but the merger of RMOs is still hanging in the air perhaps due to vested interests of the self-styled leaders of two pre-existing associations.
He further stated that the merger will benefit 28.8 million Punjabis be with better health facilities due to acute shortage of doctors in civil hospitals.
He said, the public health system of Punjab consisted of well devised chain of primary health care facilities ( sub centers with two multi-purpose health workers,) which reported to subsidiary health centers ( manned by doctor and other staff) which on their part reported to Community health centers( Senior medical officer and other staff) .A cluster of 6-7 villages is usually attached to subsidiary health center for public health purposes. But this chain was broken by transfer of subsidiary health centers to Rural department from health department. Neither the field staff( MPHW) co ordinates with rural medical officers , nor there is any co ordination between RMOs and Senior Medical Officers at community health centers. Due to lack of technical supervision and interdepartmental in-coordination, the implementation of national health programs suffers. Since the first point of contact between rural patient and doctor is at rural dispensary (S.H.C) level, they being under the rural department, appropriate advantage of schemes of health department cannot be provided to them.
He further said, the medicinal supply in rural dispensaries has been inconsistent for the last two years, even though there is surplus in nearby hospitals operated by health department. But due to different administration, medicines can’t be transferred. If these rural dispensaries have been under health department, these problems would not have existed. Now in this flu season, we don’t have even basic medicines such as anti histamines, cough syrups and shortage of basic equipments and masks in rural dispensaries. These problems could be sorted out by bringing dispensaries under the health department.
The government can also avail the benefit of these doctors at emergency duties at any time after the merger, he added.
