To achieve better operational efficiency througheffective delivery of healthcare services to the people across the state, thePunjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday gaveapproval to transfer 507 vacant posts of Rural Medical Officers (RMOs) alongwith other posts of contractual para-medical and class-IV of the SubsidiaryHealth Centres from the Department of Rural Development & Panchayat back tothe Health & Family Welfare.
According to a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’sOffice, in addition, the currently working RMOs of the Rural Development &Panchayats department who are desirous of merger in the Health and FamilyWelfare Department shall be allowed to do so with the condition that theirseniority shall be counted from the date of their joining in the Healthdepartment and not from the date of their regularization in the RuralDevelopment & Panchayats department. All other emoluments shall accrue tothem from the date of their joining in the Health department. The RMOs shall bemerged only after prior written consent on these terms and conditions.
Notably, the Cabinet also gave approval to the HealthDepartment to incur entire expenditure including salary of RMOs, Para Medicaland Class-IV staff, electricity bills, Operation & Maintenance of buildingsand equipments and other expenses.
It may be recalled that in the year 2006, as many as 1183Subsidiary Health Centers were transferred from Health Department to RuralDevelopment & Panchayats. Doctors were engaged as Service Providers to runthese Subsidiary Health Centers and they were required to engage a Pharmacistand a Class IV employee as a part of their salary package.