Division battle hits health department....... HYDERABAD: Ironic as it may seem, the health department over the last few months has become the hotbed of murky infighting over bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and it is the doctors who are orchestrating it. In the latest controversy hitting the department, an Andhra doctor who was promoted as superintendent of Niloufer Hospital, based on seniority, was forced to step down last week to make way for a Telanganite, much against the rulebook. A similar situation was witnessed at Osmania General Hospital and at Dental College of Osmania about a month ago as appointments pertaining to the administrative posts have become major causes of contention. The Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGDA) is putting its foot down and has refused to accept appointment of Seemandhra doctors in the administrative posts, highly-placed sources said. The sharp split between Telangana and Seemandhra factions, is blatantly visible only in the health department, where, observers say, whoever from Seemandhra is at the helm of administrative posts is under duress. Protests and agitations over posts have become a routine affair at the DMEs office. The latest victim, Dr G V S Subramaniam, who was asked to step down by DME Dr G Shantha Rao from the post of superintendent of Niloufer Hospital, said that he was the senior-most professor in the hospital and his removal was unfair. It was the same DME who has submitted seniority list to the Supreme Court and, as per the list, my rank is 22 and Dr Devraj, who succeeded me, is at least 10 ranks below me, he added. However DME Shantha Rao insisted that Dr Devraj was given the post because he is the senior-most. Some doctors in the health department alleged that people from Seemandhra region are already being victimized, and feared the situation could get worse after formation of the new state. If doctors from Telangana contend that they have been sidelined for a very long time and want their due, Andhra doctors say they have worked hard to reach higher positions. From where the person belongs is immaterial. As per the rule book, if one gets the post as per seniority, no one can deny him and threaten him, said a senior health department official. With Hyderabad slated to be the joint capital for both states for a decade, Andhra doctors said the murky infighting over posts does not augur well for the profession. Why someone should be asked to step down. With the government not functioning, there are a lot of unanswered questions and we are bearing the brunt of it, said a senior doctor from Andhra region. With the erstwhile AP Government Doctors Association now defunct and Telangana doctors forming TGDA, Andhra doctors are also feeling isolated. Dr Devraj had administrative experience, which is essential to run the hospital. But bifurcation issue also contributed to the matter, Dr Lalu Prasad, TGDA leader at Niloufer told TOI.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 05:49:12 +0000
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