In J-K, doctor grabs bureaucratic roles for decades

SRINAGAR — Amid claims of having a transparent system, the Jammu and Kashmir LG administration has appointed a doctor, who has virtually been never associated with his parent department, to a bureaucratic position.

As per an order issued by In-charge Principal Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, Manoj Kumar Diwedi, a doctor (name withheld) has been appointed Additional Mission Director, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, J&K.

“Sanction is hereby accorded for setting up of the office of Mission Director Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission J&K as a part of Mission Director and Dr ***, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in Health & Medical Education Department is nominated as ‘Additional Mission Director, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission J&K’ in addition to his duties as Sectoral Expert and Overall Incharge for strategizing and on-boarding of Public Services through online platforms,” an order issued in this connection reads.

It adds, “The officer shall provide the necessary support for seamless implementation of ABDM in UT of J&K in a time-bound manner. He shall stand relieved from the role of Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Health & Medical Education Department with immediate effect.”

The order has evoked severe criticism amid claims from the LG administration that there is a transparent system with zero tolerance for nepotism. Bureaucrats and senior officials are astonished over the ‘favours’ showered on a Junior Medical Officer of the Health department.

“How can a Medical Officer be appointed to such officiating positions? When other doctors are doing their work in hospitals and health centres, why is this doctor favoured when nepotism is claimed to have ended,” they said.

Appointed in the year 1997 as Medical Officer in the Health department, the said doctor has never been posted in any hospital for patient care.

“He has always been in officiating positions – from Health Officer in Srinagar Municipal Corporation to its Commissioner. For the last several years, he was posted in Civil Secretariat without doing any work. This year he was attached to Kathua, but the government favoured him again and he managed his posting as OSD,” officials said.

They said that LG should order a thorough probe and should also order his posting back to his parent department for patient care.