Himachal Pradesh HC slams Govt for Delays in PHC Appointments
Consumer court
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has expressed serious concerns and criticized the state government for the delay in filling sanctioned posts at the Primary Health Centres (PHCs), as well as for overstaffing at some centres to accommodate "kith and kin." The court has directed the state government to take immediate steps to comply with court orders.
The court's remarks came during a hearing on Wednesday, where a division bench, consisting of Acting Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Satyen Vaidya, directed the state government to take immediate steps to implement the court's directives. The court also instructed the Health Secretary to file a status report on the matter by the next hearing date to monitor the government's progress in implementing the necessary changes.
The state government informed the high court on the previous hearing date that 102 medical officer posts, 116 pharmacist posts, and 81 Class-IV posts in various PHCs were still vacant across the state. The issue was released based on this court hearing.
Additionally, the division bench directed the central government on Tuesday to submit a report regarding the receipt of the fund utilization certificate submitted by the state government for the previous years. The court also instructed the government to inform it during the next hearing whether any funds could be made available to the state government, considering that some funds had been surrendered earlier.
On November 9, 2020, the High Court highlighted that the state government violated the guidelines issued on April 7, 2016, which required each PHC to have one doctor, pharmacist, and Class-IV employee. Despite this clear directive, the court noted that the state had been "violating the guidelines with impunity, possibly to accommodate its kith and kin," contrary to the policy.
The state government also informed the High Court that, in addition to doctors, pharmacists, and Class-IV employees, many other personnel such as medical officers, midwives, drivers, and dental hygienists had been posted at the PHCs.
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