CMO Poonch, M.S. Raja Sukhdev Singh Hospital, misused their official positions; Scripted illegal transfers, big financial frauds

CMO Poonch, M.S. Raja Sukhdev Singh Hospital, misused their official positions; Scripted illegal transfers, big financial frauds

SALIL RAINA

(POONCH TODAY NEWS)

POONCH: Due to the poor approach adopted by Director Health Services Jammu, M.D. NHM, and Commissioner/Secretary Health, successive Chief Medical Officers and Medical Superintendents of Raja Sukhdev Singh Hospital Poonch scripted massive illegal transfers of their close ones in addition to their indulgence in open financial frauds. A former Chief Medical Officer Poonch vide his no. CMO/P/NHM/SCTT/519-521 dated 16/08/2024 transferred two NHM employees who were his close relatives to SDH Surankote and Mendhar.

Sources said that they were transferred by the former CMO along with the posts, and it is a matter of investigation to find out whether the allegation of shifting them along with the posts is true or not. Alongside these two employees, two more junior staff nurses, who were close to the employees of the health department, were illegally attached to SDH Surankote in an open violation of NHM rules. The same CMO Poonch, who also indulged in massive loot in the name of purchasing, gave a massive setback to the government exchequer with the help of some subordinates, who remained experts in managing financial irregularities. As it was published time and again by “POONCH TODAY,” a big mafia operating in the health department of Poonch for a long time has remained indulged in various types of financial frauds, and before this mafia, even the office of Director  Health Services Jammu, M.D. NHM, and the Commissioner/Secretary of Health seem to have surrendered. In addition to the former CMO, successive medical superintendents also indulged in brazen purchasing scams. The list of scams in the health department is endless and requires a high-level inquiry. There is an urgent need to investigate more illegal transfer orders that have been issued by the present incumbent, as reports say that those close to the top bosses have managed their desired postings in the department silently. From block level to district level, blue-eyed employees looted government money at will, fully backed by their BMOs, medical superintendents, and CMOs. Meanwhile, this act of illegal transfer of two NHM employees in an open violation of rules by the former CMO, one of whom was his close relative, shows that anything is possible in the health department. On the one hand, the MD NHM time and again said that the health care services under the NHM at the district level in the Jammu division were up to the mark, but the office of MD NHM seems to have adopted an attitude full of partiality by not taking action on reported matters of brazen inefficiencies in his department. Highly placed sources in the NHM directorate told “POONCH TODAY” that a former M.D. NHM, with the help of his close relative, looted government money under various NHM schemes. The said relative of a former M.D. used to collect money from various firms on behalf of the former MD NHM. Now if the corruption starts from the top in the NHM directorate, then one could easily come to the conclusion that from top to bottom, the NHM is full of various frauds. If an officer of the level of chief medical officer can illegally transfer his family members and some other important NHM employees to other subdivision hospitals along with posts, then anything is possible. Even a blue-eyed employee of the department has been given the charge of DPM without any order or merit. It shows that the health department in Poonch is running on the mercy of the mafia, and accordingly, the Director Health Services Jammu, MD NHM, and Commissioner/Secretary Health have no role in the smooth functioning of the department at the district level. The health department in Poonch district, from block to top level, is marred by huge malpractices, but it’s shocking that the top brass of the department, from the director, MD NHM to the commissioner/secretary level, have adopted a silent approach due to reasons best known to them. It’s high time for the government to order a high-level inquiry into reported matters of brazen inefficiencies and financial frauds in the Poonch health department and bring to book those who remained part and parcel of such frauds.