Jose K Joseph
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Sept 15: Several Mobile Health Unit (MHU) attendants have been working without salary for more than two years but the health department is yet to take any action. They claim their salaries have not been paid due to red-tapism in health department and apathy of its top officials.
Started in 1995 (Official order: 20830 dated July 21, 1995), MHUs are the immediate medical assistant units for the rural poor and tribal areas of the state. Currently, 190 MHUs with doctors, pharmacists, female health workers (FHW), attendants and drivers play a crucial role provide medical aid.
But the health department has failed to pay salaries of MHU attendants since March 2014. But this alleged malfeasance of health officials has not affected the spirit of these class-IV contractual workers. Most of them (190 attendants) are still serving without any salary for about 28 months even as lack of funds has severely hit financial wellbeing.
“My dedication to the department has affected the education of my two sons. They failed to complete their plus three due to non-payment of fees. If I had been paid on time, my sons would not have been jobless,” said Dinabandhu Behera (50), a MHU attendant for than 20 years.
Apart from the salary, the department has failed to regularise their services too even as pharmacists and female health workers (FHW) of MHUs have been absorbed.
“The department follows pick and choose attitude and gives us false assurances us. Whenever we protest, the top officials assure us. However, these officials are silent over the regularisation of pharmacists and FHWs of MHUs,” said Orissa Group D MHU Contract Government Employees Association president Debraj Sahu.
Health service director Kailash Chandra Dash informed Orissa POST that a special team is trying to sort out the issue.
“We have already ordered all the chief district medical officers (CDMO) to submit details of non-payment salaries of these attendants. Four officials have already submitted the report. The special team will enquire and salary will be released soon,” said Dash.
However, official documents accessed by Orissa POST reveal that the department is creating inexplicable delays. For instance, health and family welfare department joint secretary Surajit Das had issued an order (No.6579, dated March 25, 2015) to all CDMO to submit names of MHU attendants and work certificates for release of their salaries.
Significantly, another official letter (File No. 12376600182016-L, No 26885, dated December 21, 2015) by health and family welfare department additional secretary PC Pathy to the health services director states that it has been decided to make provision of funds in the state budget estimates for 2016-17 for salary arrears of MHU attendants. But the department is still going ahead with more enquiries.
When asked about their regularisation, the director informed that it was not done due to the finance department’s objection.
“Finance has certain rules which prohibit regularisation of class-IV employees. However, we have addressed the high power committee which has decided create 162 vacancies for regularisation. These workers will be given priority,” added Dash.
A meeting chaired by the chief secretary July 20, 2013 (a copy of the proceedings of the meeting is available with Orissa POST) took a decision of reposting health attendants at other health facilities after creation of vacancies. The meeting was attended by the additional chief secretary of finance department.
Significantly, Orissa Administrative Tribunal also questioned the issue of their regularisation. Considering the regularisation of pharmacists the tribunal ordered (No 1647, dated April 4, 2012) CDMO, Malkangiri to regularise nine MHU attendants.