The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Order on ‘dual control’ remains in cold storage

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Thursday, Apr 24, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Order on ‘dual control’ remains in cold storage

Staff Reporter

Of paramedical staff in medical colleges

The order was issued on June 1 last year
MCHs continue to depend on staff provided by DHS

Thiruvananthapuram: Nearly a year after the government issued an order (GO) ending ‘dual control’ of paramedical staff in medical colleges, nothing much has changed with regard to the appointment of hospital staff in medical colleges.

The MCHs continue to depend on staff nurses and paramedical staff provided by the Director of Health Services (DHS), over whom neither the MCH superintendents nor the Director of Medical Education (DME) has any administrative control.

The GO, ending the system of dual control and bringing all staff nurses and paramedical staff in medical colleges under the administrative control of the DME, was brought out on June 1 last year. However, the so-called ‘historic’ GO continues to rest in government files, with neither the DME’s office nor the DHS’ office doing anything to ensure that the order is implemented.

The MCHs have been struggling for years due to shortage of paramedical staff but the authorities were unable to do anything about it as the paramedical staff were under the administrative control of the DHS, while the doctors were under the DME.

The Left Democratic Front government managed to bring out the GO despite stiff resistance from various employees’ unions, which raised objections regarding their possible redeployment and promotion prospects, which they feared might be adversely affected once the order was implemented.

The Health Minister had maintained that the change in the system would be smooth and that the employees would be given the option of joining either the Medical College Service or the Health Service and that their service conditions or future prospects would not be affected.

No initiative

Despite the ‘understanding’ said to have reached between the Health Minister and the employees’ unions, no initiative has been taken to see that the order is implemented.

There are bound to be issues of redeployment of excess staff but unless the process is initiated at some level, the dual control system will never get replaced, medical college authorities point out.

“It is clear that it is in the interest of many to keep the GO in cold storage. We are talking about setting up a medical university and giving a facelift to the MCH, Thiruvananthapuram, through the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, when the authorities do not even have the freedom to appoint adequate cleaning staff on daily wages,” an MCH official said.

Meanwhile, the MCH continues to be at the mercy of the employment exchange for getting the paramedical staff. The shortage of nursing assistants was finally taken care of last year, when about 100 retired hands were taken back on the rolls on daily wages. MCH authorities have now requested the employment exchange to provide it more Grade I attenders.

With the Rs.120-crore upgradation project under the PMSSY under way, there have been demands that the government revise the MCH staff pattern which was fixed in 1965.

A proposal has now been put forward to the government that at least 150 new posts of paramedical staff would have to be created once the new superspecialty block at the MCH is ready to be opened.

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