Earth News Service
Jammu, May 18: What is the urgent need for medical officer, or officers, in the AIDS Control Society these days? At a time when we have not heard of a single AIDS case for months, and years together? When corona, corona and more corona is all we are dealing with and oxygen supply has become such a critical subject. At such a time when the arrival of some oxygen plants from Gemany is an occasion for Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to express gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Why was then a Medical Officer (MO) working as Nodal Officer for oxygen related issues transferred recently and sent to AIDS Control Society then?
There was a special post of Nodal Officer, Multifold Oxygen, DNB and PMDP, Directorate of Health Services, Jammu, in the office of DHS, Jammu, Dr Renu Sharma. On this post, a medical officer named Dr Monika Wali, worked for many months, or years. It is not clear when she joined here on this post and what was her posting earlier. There existed no designated room, or section, assigned to this Nodal Officer. Perhaps because this job entailed a lot of travelling, and was the MO was meant to keep abreast of situation unfolding on the oxygen front. It is also not clear as to what were the duties assigned to this Nodal Officer, Multifold Oxygen. On checking with some doctors working in the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, they said that no such post designated as Nodal Officer, Multifold Oxygen, ever existed in their directorate till date.
The salary of this Medical Officer, Dr Monika Wali, was reportedly drawn against some post in Gandhi Nagar hospital. Over the past few weeks, the availability, or otherwise, of medical oxygen in various hospitals has led to a lot of hue and cry. What was this Nodal Officer doing on her post before April 22, 2021, when she was sent packing to AIDS Control Society? A crisis of sorts developed regarding medical oxygen in various hospitals, including GMC, Jammu, around a month ago. As Nodal Officer, what correspondence did she do with the CMOs, BMOs, hospital chiefs, to discuss the impending crisis? What letters did she write to Director of Health Services Renu Sharma herself.
Some doctors working in Gandhi Nagar Hospital expressed surprise that such a post of Nodal Officer, Multifold Oxygen, existed in the DHS office and they were not aware of it. One doctor, requesting anonymity, said: If we knew that some MO (Medical Officer) was working as a Nodal Officer for issues pertaining to oxygen supplies in the DHS, we could have easily brought the issue to her notice and she could have taken things further. He also expressed surprise that their colleagues in other nine districts of the Jammu region, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Reasi, Poonch and Rajouri never ever talked about some pointsperson dealing with issues related to dearth to oxygen. In short, the DHS, Jammu, had never given any publicity to this post of Nodal Officer, Multifold Oxygen, and that was surprising.
Inquiries were also made at DH, Sarwal; SDH, Kot Bhalwal; DH, Rajouri; DH, Ramban; DH, Kathua; DH, Reasi and some other hospitals regarding the Nodal officer. This was basically to check what role the MO had played in the installation of Oxygen Generation Plants (OGPs), or supply of medical oxygen through cylinders or any other related activity. Everywhere we drew a blank and nobody anywhere said they had ever interacted with this officer, working in DHS Renu Sharma’s office.
The post was abolished by Financial Commissioner Health and Medical Education Atal Dulloo wide his order issued on April 22, 2021. As mysteriously as this ghost post had been created, it vanished form DHS office, on a recommendation sent by Dr Renu Sharma which has been quoted in GO 303-JK (HME) of 2021.
Incidentally, in all official records in the Gandhi Nagar Hospital, Dr Monika Wali is mentioned as a Medical Officer (MO), and not as Nodal Officer, Multifold Oxygen. Her salary was drawn as an MO for the last one year from Gandhi Nagar Hospital only. What was the work so important in the AIDS Control Society she is discharging now on being sent there? Can anyone remember here when was it the last time they heard of an AIDS case in the Jammu region?
Hospital grapewine has it that an elaborate smokescreen was created to keep the said MO ATTACHED in the DHS office and DRAW her salary. When RTI activist Balvinder Singh moved application about attached doctors, she was transferred. The application was moved on April 10, DHS wrote her recommendation on April 16 and the transfer order was issued on April 22. Is connecting the dots so difficult here? Even after being relieved from Nodal Officer (oxygen) post, she has been sent in AIDS Control Society where there is little, if any, work. The Health Department can sure do with an additional MO deployed optimally at some health facility.
Who used to certify that this MO was attending her office, month after month, when her salary bill was sent? That also needs to be investigated, and all things pertaining to this should come out in open.
