Why does IMA AP condemn all nonsensical orders issued by AP Health officials?

ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ వైద్య శాఖ  గత 3 ఏళ్లలో  లో ఇచ్చిన ఆదేశాలు -

The nonsensical GOs issued by AP Health department-

1. GO NO. 64 is an arbitrary decision to supersede the powers of DMHO and delegated powers to revenue officers; The government issued GO No 64 transferring some powers of the district medical and health officials to the joint collectors sparking protests from doctors.

As per the order, the Joint Collector (Village and Ward Secretary & Development) shall act and discharge functions such as Chairperson of District Selection Committee for district-level recruitments of Health Department under DMHO/DCHS/Principals of Government Medical Colleges and superintendents of teaching hospitals. The JC will be the reporting authority for all Annual Confidential Reports of Sub District Level Officers of Health (up to 2nd level Gazetted Officers under Health Departments). Disciplinary Authority for all district-cadre posts working in the Health Department.

Recall GO.64  (Giving Power to Joint Collectors Over Health Officials is absurd .)

The Andhra Pradesh Government Doctors Association & IMA AP has strongly opposed a Government Order (G.O.) issued recently by the Medical and Health Department that seeks to delegate all powers, including service matters pertaining to medical and health employees, to Joint Collectors.

Few demands raised by AP GDA &IMA AP @ JUNE-2021

• Andhra Pradesh govt docs &IMA AP seek Immediate cancellation of GO 64
• Reviewing of superintendents of hospitals on daily activities could not be executed by JCs as they were of additional director cadre.
• GDA asked for six months administrative training to DMHOs and civil surgeons. 
• GDA wanted all reviews to be held within duty timings unless there was a national health emergency. 
• Visit to PHCs and verification of records to be done by JC and above cadre officer only, 
• GDA demands time bound promotions to doctors working in directorate of health and APVVP by appointing a committee and also asked for consideration of giving consolidated pay to doctors appointed in 2020 and also release of arrears of Pay Revision Commission to teaching doctors.

2. GO NO. 148 regarding mandatory fire Noc for small hospitals and clinics;  

In AP, Hospitals irrespective of height now need fire safety NOC to function: gazette notification issued on 3-12-2021.

The Andhra Pradesh government has made it mandatory for private hospitals to procure a fire safety certificate from the fire department in order to get the facility registered with the State. In this regard, Andhra Pradesh Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department has issued a Gazette notification dated December 3 making amendments to Andhra Pradesh Allopathic Private Medical reg act 2002.

in 2017 Indian Medical Association (IMA) AP chapter has forwarded a proposal to Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas Rao requesting few initiatives. 

@2017: The initiatives proposed in this meeting include, single floor hospital buildings would be omitted from fire safety restrictions. Clinics that don’t have any beds need not have a NOC fire safety certificate. The NOC renewal for hospitals has been changed from one year to every five years. The hospitals constructed before 2006 shouldn’t be forced for NOC. 

Now @2022, AFTER LOT OF PERSUASION and CONSTANT follow up, IMA AP achieved momentous success and got these initiatives making easy for hospitals to get fire Noc without any INSPECTION by fire safety officials for BELOW 15METER HEIGHT BUILDINGS.

3. GO NOs 40 & 41.   Transfer GO's (బదిలీల ఉత్తర్వులు):  The great fiasco of transfers! 

IMA AP strongly Condemns the failure of the higher officials of the HM&FW of AP about improper implementation of GO NOs 40 and 41 regarding transfers of government doctors.

 why govt repeatedly failed in implementation of GO40&41, we don't know! Adding to the confusion, on march 8th. Another GO is issued regarding transfers and counseling process but still didn't complete the process as per that GO.  It's ironic that the department failed even in implementation of the GO on mutual transfers.

IMA Demands -

• The clear vacancies and the request transfers must be done first.

• Mandatory transfers must be halted (only on a pretext that Drs are working at one place for long time). If inevitable, should be done after request transfers, within 30% ceiling.

• Transfers should be done at stipulated time /calendar month with proper counseling.

• Many senior doctors are devoid of their due promotions. The Promotions should be implemented at the stipulated time/calendar month every year with proper counseling.

All these failures result in confusion and deadlock among doctors of HM&FW, APVVP & MEDICAL EDUCATION.

4. Travails and sacrifices of doctors working as faculty in medical colleges. -  

 From 2016 to 2021, the PRC dues that amount to 15-30lakhs have been foregone by EACH DOCTOR WORKING IN the medical college's teaching faculty. 

In the case of “working Doctor. Couple” the arrears loss mount to minimum 40 -50 lakhs.

 IMA demands the government to release the PRC dues as well as arrears to the government doctors immediately.

The appropriate authority should remember that the PRC as well as arrears are the right of employees. 

5. The ambience and working conditions of government doctors, junior doctors and interns are awful. No facilities, no infra and not enough supportive staff. Even toilet facilities are in a wanting state in some hospitals. The policy and functional dynamics of the HM&FW departmental heads is not conducive to harmonious work flow among doctors working in govt hospitals and doctors working as teaching faculty.

IMA earnestly appeals to the AP Government to rectify these short comings in governance and provide safe, secure and healthy conditions to facilitate seamless delivery of health care services by government doctors, teaching faculty and private doctors.