Srinagar, Apr 29: Doctors Association of Kashmir on Sunday alleged that Health department here is “brazenly violating transfer policy of doctors.”
Attributing the information to a RTI query filed by DAK spokesperson Dr Riyaz Ahmad Daga seeking information regarding postings of doctors in various hospitals, DAK president in a statement said the norms are being blatantly flouted as per the details revealed by RTI query.
He said information has revealed that influential doctors are given choicest postings and they remain on their places of choice for decades.
According to DAK, as per the reply, in Srinagar’s Police Hospital has doctor who is posted there for the last 18 years.
“Though reply to the RTI mentions the joining date of Medical Superintendent (Police Hospital) as 08-09-2016, but the said doctor is posted at the hospital since April 1998,” DAK statement said, adding that it has gone for first appeal against this “wrong and misleading information”.
It said at District Hospital Pulwama, some doctors are posted for more than 17 years.
“RTI reveals overstaying of doctors at other hospitals too,” DAK said, while alleging that the Health department is defying transfer policy only to give places of choice to “influential doctors”.
“They get postings to their convenience and comfort and the voiceless suffer,” DAK said, while alleging that the “Health department has been converted into a lucrative industry and patient-care is a forgotten entity. Money is exchanged for transfers in the department and there is a mafia running this transfer industry.”
DAK said the violation of transfer policy is the reason for non-availability of doctors in far-flung areas and patients have to suffer the consequences.
It said the transfer policy which was adopted in the interest of patient-care and to address the shortage of doctors in far-flung areas has been shelved and is confined to papers only.
“As per the policy, the minimum tenure of a doctor on a post shall be two years and a maximum of three years,” said DAK.
