Thursday, March 28, 2024

Indore health department workers to stop working unless district collector removed from post

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By Express News Service
BHOPAL: Unable to take the “rude” behaviour of district collector Manish Singh anymore, the health department staffers in Indore – Madhya Pradesh’s COVID-19 capital – have decided to stay away from work from Friday morning, if the district collector isn’t removed from his post.

The health department staffers, including senior government doctors and officers on Thursday, submitted to the Indore divisional commissioner, a memorandum addressed to MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in which they demanded immediate removal of Indore district collector Manish Singh, failing which they would stay away from work, starting at 8 am on Friday.

In the memorandum, the health department staffers alleged that the Indore district collector has been regularly behaving rudely and using unparliamentary language with its staff, including doctors and senior officers at meetings.

“At this time when the COVID-19 pandemic’s second wave is at its peak, we’ve been not caring for our lives and working round the clock in service of patients. But instead of acknowledging our efforts, the Indore district collector has been regularly humiliating us publicly at meetings, causing immense mental trauma to us, which has had a debilitating effect on the health department staffers morale,” the health department staffers submitted in the memorandum.

According to sources associated with the health department staffers in Indore, if the Indore collector isn’t removed from his post by Friday morning, then the 3000-strong health department staffers in Indore, are likely to resign en masse.

The development came just a day after, senior woman officer of the health department, the Indore District Health Officer-1 Dr Purnima Gadaria resigned from government service, alleging mental harassment by the district collector.

Also, another health department officer in Indore, the Manpur Community Health Centre Medical Officer Dr RS Tomar resigned from his post, alleging misbehavior by SDM Abhilash Mishra.   

In the recent past, Indore district collector Manish Singh has been in news for misbehaving with health department staffers, including publicly humiliating then Indore chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr Pravin Jadia at an official meeting a few months back.

Indore with over 12,000 active cases is the state’s COVID-19 capital. Since the last two weeks, Indore has been reporting a four digit spike daily in new positive cases.

Reacting to the development, BJP national general secretary and ex-MP minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, avoided any direct comment, but added that the strain on doctors’ minds should be addressed.

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