DHAR: Government doctors and health officials in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh were left in limbo after they were forced to submit a memorandum to the additional district magistrate in her own cause.
Upset with conduct of additional district magistrate Saloni Sidana’s, scores of government doctors and health officials went to district collector Alok Kumar Singh’s office to submit a memo against her.
But, collector told the doctor’s delegation that he is in a time-limit meeting. Not just this, he asked ADM Sidana to receive the memo as his representative.
This lead to a precarious situation as the doctors and health employees had to submit a memorandum to Sidana accusing her of rude behaviour with them.
Sidana came to accept the memorandum but rubbished all the allegations leveled on her.
She claimed that she is hurt as despite the fact that she never parts with unpleasant words, the doctors and health officials have come with the complaint, Sidana said.
She added that the administration won’t tolerate any negligence in the implementation of the government schemes and I stand by this.
Sidana told the delegation that instead of treating patients you are present here on a working day (Monday). ADM said she is also a doctor and is registered with the state’s body.
Shocked with her high handedness the district health officer (DHO) Dr Ashok Patel and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in-charge Dr Burman said that at the welcome meeting organised for you we were expecting some words of encouragement from you but your reaction was in contrast to our expectation.
On February 17, during a review meeting of the Health Department: the newly posted additional collector Sidana lambasted all BPM, DPM, BCM DHOs of the district. She expressed her dissatisfaction over work of ANC registration, diagnosis and review of maternal mortality and causes.
The doctors alleged that such harshness was not expected in the first meeting. They accused ADM of mentally harassing them.
District vaccination officer Dr Narendra Pawaiya said that the first thing the ADM declared after entering the meeting room was that they (doctors and other satff) should decide whether to work or get transferred to some other place. ADM even attempted to humiliate DHO in the meeting and compared the situation in district with that of Jhabua. In fact, there is a vast difference between the work of health department in the two districts.
Eventually district collector Singh had to step in to prevent the situation from going worse. He met doctors and staff of health department. He asked them to work without any fear. He assured them that those who are working diligently will face no problem.
Our objective is that the benefits of government schemes reach as many people as possible and the additional collector means the same, collector said.
