Jharkhand: Resentment brews over alleged pick and choose policy in medical officers’ selection for transfer

Dhanbad: Resentment is brewing among the medical officers (government doctors) of the state over the alleged pick-and-choose policy in the selection of the doctors for mass transfer.

Medical officers posted in different districts across the state rued that those officers, who have a political and bureaucratic backup, have not been touched but at the same time others have been picked for the transfer. Especially, some medical officers who have been sitting in Ranchi for more than one and a half decades have been overlooked.

The state health department has prepared a list of 176 medical officers of the state for transfer who has been sitting in a district for more than nine years.

A senior officer of the health department said that as per the service manual, a medical officer has to be transferred after three years. The health minister has directed to transfer of those who have been deployed for more than nine years in a district. “The list has been prepared on the report of the civil surgeon,” said the official, requesting anonymity.

As per the official list, among the 176 medical officers selected for transfer, the highest 21 are from Ranchi district who have been sitting in the state capital district for a long time. This is followed by:

• Bokaro (18)
• Dhanbad (15)
• West Singhbhum (11)
• Giridih (10)
• Palamu (9)
• Sahibganj (9)
• Saraikela–Kharsawa (9)
• Godda (9)
• East Singhbhum (7)
• Khunti (7)
• Gumla (7)
• Hazaribagh (7)
• Dumka (7)
• Koderma (4)
• Latehar (4)
• Pakur (4)
• Simdega (4)
• Ramgarh (4)
• Jamtara (3)
• Lohardaga (3)
• Chatra (2)
• Deoghar (2)
• Garhwa (2)

“We have no objection to transfer as it is a routine affair of the health department service manual. But partiality and pick-and-choose policy in selection of medical officers, especially the special favour given to doctors posted in Ranchi for more than two decades, has triggered resentment and suspicion against the decision,” said a medical officer posted in East Singhbum district.

Some medical officers who are figured in the list said that besides some of the doctors of Ranchi who have political and bureaucratic support, doctors active in the Jharkhand Health Services Association (JHSA) and doctors of other frontal organizations (they mean Indian Medical Association) have been also sparred from the transfer.

However, a senior medical officer of the health department, while justifying the action of the health department, said that as per the law not only in government services but also in the private sector, no office-bearers of any trade union can be transferred to another place till he or she holds a post in the association/ union.