The medical officers absconding from their duties would be terminated from the state health and family department and in their place new doctors would be recruited. The Director General (DG) of health services, Dr Amita Upreti gave these orders while undertaking a review meeting of the department on Monday.

On a stern note, the DG directed the officials to issue warning letters to all those employees who are absconding from their works from 15 days and more. In an important decision taken during the meeting the department decided that to streamline its accounts and financial wing.  Dr Upreti said that now the department would appoint regular accounts officers in the hospitals and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) offices. She informed that the department would hold special training session for those employees who are below 45 years of age and are discharging the accounting and financial works.

The DG said that the CMOs, CMS and all drawing and disbursing officers (DDO) would be given training of financial issues under the Uttarakhand Health System Development Project.

 She said that the CMOs should send monthly reports on the Bonded Medical Officers (MO), conduct regular inspections of hospitals and ensure the quality of the food provided to the patients. The DG said that the hospitals of the state would now be operated on the norms prescribed by the IPHS and all the hospitals should send a work plan to her office so that the appointment of doctors and para medical staff can be made on these norms. She said that Intensive Care Units (ICU) on all districts should become operational in this year.

The DG directed that ‘birth waiting homes’ should be opened on the hospitals for the relatives accompanying the expectant mothers coming from remote areas for institutional deliveries.

She said that birth waiting homes would be opened with the budget provided by the National Health Mission (NHM) in Pithoragarh, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Champawat and Nainital districts while in Almora and Bageshwar districts these centres would be opened by the departmental budget. The meeting was attended by all the officials of the health department.