Probe ordered into appointment of Moga primary health centre head

Why would I flout the rules? Rules for selection change frequently. During the tenure of Husan Lal — the then MD, NHM, and Vini Mahajan, the then principal secretary, health — CMOs were verbally authorised to select medical officers. DR MANINDER KAUR MINHAS, former Moga chief medical officer

The National Health Mission has ordered an inquiry into the unauthorised appointment of a retired MBBS doctor Dr Naresh Gupta as a medical officer at Urban Primary Health Centre at Duneke village.

The move comes two weeks after HT highlighted how former Moga chief medical officer Dr Maninder Kaur Minhas, ignoring due process and in violation of rules had hand-picked Dr Gupta and made him the head of the UPHC. Dr Minhas resigned from her post on August 31.

NHM authorities have sought details including — whether the advertisement to appoint a medical officer at the UPHC was given, if a panel was formed and how many applicants applied — from officiating CMO Dr Surinder Setia. Setia, who is also holding the charge of deputy medical commissioner Moga, will submit its report in a week. “As soon as I get a report from Moga civil surgeon, further action will be taken,” said Varun Roojam, managing director NHM.

The health department has opened UPHCs under Centre’s National Health Mission to provide healthcare to people who cannot go to a district hospital. Free medicines are provided.

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Under the NHM rules, to appoint a medical officer at the UPHC, an ad needs to be given in newspapers. A notice needs to be put up on premises of civil hospital and other public places for an interview. In this case, none was done.

The mandatory three-member committee of the CMO, the deputy medical commissioner and the district programme manager that the deputy commissioner must head was also not formed.

Dr Minhas prior resigning from her post appointed Dr Gupta just on the basis of a request letter that he gave to her.

HT has a copy of the appointment letter. “The appointment was not sent to the managing director of the NHM, even as Dr Gupta joined duty from September 1,” a senior doctor claimed.

Dr Minhas had claimed that there were instructions to appoint a candidate against a vacant post.