AIPEU,Gr.-C Bhubaneswar, Odisha

POSTAL DISPENSARY, BHUBANESWAR  REMAINS CLOSED ON SUNDAYS

 – A CLEAR VIOLATION OF THE MINISTRY’S ORDERS -

Dear Comrades,

            After receipt of several complaints on the problems faced by the beneficiaries / card holders of Postal Dispensary, Bhubaneswar this Divisional Secretary had sought for information under RTI Act, 2005 on as many as 20 points from the CPIO – cum – Chief Medical Officer, I / C of the dispensary since a majority of the beneficiaries belongs to this Division. The C  M O I/C replied to the union vide their letter No. PDB / 1-12/09-10(RTI), dated 22.01.2010 . But the union was not satisfied with the reply of the CMO I/C. Subsequently we represented to the appellate authority namely the DPS(HQ) on 17.02.2010. Before receipt of the reply from the DPS ( HQ ), our 6^th Biennial Conference was held from 27.02.2010 to 28.02.2010 and the  Subject Committee, expressing concern  on the problems faced by the beneficiaries of Postal Dispensary, Bhubaneswar , inter alia resolved the issue with due publication in its 6^th Biennial Report, 2010.

            Sj. Mohan Jena, Honourable ( M P ) Lok Sabha, who inaugurated the above Conference assured this union in his inaugural speech to take up all the problems of the postal employees resolved in the Biennial Report  before the competent authorities . He kept his words and wrote a letter on 13.07.2010 especially on the problems faced by the beneficiaries of Postal Dispensary, Bhubaneswar to Sj. Sachin Pilot, Hon’ble Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology, Govt. of India who replied to the Hon’ble M P on 11.08.2010.

            The copy of the  D O No. 24 – 9 / 2010 – Medical , dated 11.08.2010 written by Sj. Sachin Pilot, Hon’ble Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology, Govt. of India to Sj. Mohan Jena, Honourable ( M P ) Lok Sabha is reproduced below for information of the common members.

            While the Hon’ble Minister has replied that the administrative work of the dispensary is looked after by the DPS ( HQ ), the Postal Dispensary, Bhubaneswar avoids to examine the beneficiaries on the plea of performing administrative works and thus squeezing the working hours for the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries are also requested to compare the working hours of the Postal Dispensary, Bhubaneswar with that of the reply given by  the Hon’ble Minister. Surprisingly, when the Hon’ble Minister has replied that all the Postal dispensaries in India  on the line of duty hours observed by CGHS dispensaries remain open on Sundays for 2 hours from 8 AM to 10 AM in winter schedule and from 7 AM to 9 AM in summer schedule,  the Postal Dispensary Bhubaneswar observed closed holiday on Sundays.

            Can you say the Minister is wrong ? – Or anybody else? – Who will reply ?

            However, we have written separately to our Circle Secretary and General Secretary to handle the issue at appropriate levels.

Copy of the  D O No. 24 – 9 / 2010 – Medical , dated 11.08.2010

D O No. 24- 9 / 2010 - Medical

SACHIN PILOT

MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ECHNOLOGY GOVERNMENT OF  INDIA, NEW DELHI – 110 003 11 AUGUST, 2010

Dear Shri Jena,

            Kindly refer to your letter dated 13^th July, 2010 regarding problems faced by the postal employees of Orissa Circle.

            I have had the matter examined. With regard to the enhancement of expenditure per beneficiary, the matter is being examined by the Department.

             The working of the postal dispensary has been fixed uniformly in all the postal dispensaries which is on the line of duty hours observed by the CGHS dispensaries.

	Winter Schedule	Summer schedule	Total hours
Normal  day ( Monday to Saturday )	8 am to 2 pm	7 am to 1 pm	6 hours
Second Saturday	8 am to 11.30 am	7 am to 10.30 am	3.5 hours
Sunday	8 am to 10 am	7 am to 9 am	2 hours

.If split duty is introduced, this will reduce the working hours from 6 hours to 5 hours 30 minutes  as deduction of 30 minutes is allowed  for split duty. It will also result in inconvenience to the Medical and Para – medical staff  as in most of the stations  staff quarters are not available  within 1 KM of the dispensary  and the staff will be forced to remain on duty for more than 8 hours on week days at a stretch. In many dispensaries, there is a shortage of regular doctors  and the work is managed  through the doctors appointed on contract basis.

2.         The postal dispensaries are under the administrative control of the SSP-in-charge of the Postal Dn. Or directly under the DPS ( HQ ) of the Circle  Office / Regional Office. The administrative work relating to  the dispensary is looked after by the Divisional Head or DPS (HQ). The timing of dispensary have been fixed in  such a way which is convenient to the beneficiaries of both the serving postal employees, pensioners and medical staff.

3          As regards the empanelment of the private hospitals and diagnostic centers, they are approved by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare  under CGHS / CS (MA ) Rules. The postal dispensaries  only provide outdoor facility  to the beneficiary and therefore private  hospitals and diagnostic centers  approved by the  Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The serving employees of the Department of Posts  can seek reimbursement after obtaining the treatment  from hospitals / diagnostic centers approved by the Government  where as the pensioners are only eligible for OPD facility.

4.         As regards supply of medicine on the date indent is placed, the approved chemist collects the indents from dispensary based on the prescription of the date  and makes supply of those medicines on next day  if medicines are not available in the stock. There is no willful delay in supply of medicines.

5.         The Ministry of Health and  Family Welfare is the Cadre Controlling authority  of Central Health Service ( CHS ), Central Group-A service  and the doctors in Postal dispensaries are posted by  the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The cadre comprises 4 sub cadres viz. General Duty medical officer, teaching specialist, non-teaching specialist and public health specialist sub cadre. In the Postal dispensaries, the doctors belonging to General Duty Medical Officer ( GDMO )  sub cadre are posted. Since the postal dispensaries do not provide in-hospitalization facilities , the department do not feel the need for appointing  specialist doctors on contract basis  and the cases are referred  to specialists in recognized hospitals. This is practice in vogue in CGHS dispensaries also.

6.         The Sixth Central Pay Commission in its recommendations in Para 7.6.16 has recommended merger of postal dispensaries with the CGHS dispensaries  in the cities where both postal and CGHS dispensaries are existing. The Department has sent a proposal  to the Ministry of health and Family Welfare for merger of 19 such departmental dispensaries  with CGHS dispensaries which include  merger  of Bhubaneswar Postal Dispensary with the CGHS Dispensary. The proposal is pending  with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for a decision.

7.         Postal Assistants have been assigned  the jobs of System Administrators and Marketing Executives.  The Sixth Central Pay Commission  examined the proposal of the Department  for creation of separate cadre  of System Administrator  and Marketing Executives  but did not recommend  the creation of separate cadre on functional ground. The Sixth CPC further observed  that existing man power  need to be used  for multifarious  functions. The Department has, however, constituted a Committee to examine the cadre restructuring including the jobs handled  by the System Administrators.

            I hope, you will be able to appreciate the limitations placed on the Department in such issues.

            With regards.

Yours sincerely,

Sd/-

 (SACHIN PILOT )