Kerala govt doctors oppose extension of working hours at Community Health Centres
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): An association of the government doctors in Kerala on Friday strongly opposed the state government's decision to extend the working hours of Community Health Centres from 9 am to 6 pm without increasing staff strength.
In a statement, the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) said the move places an unfair burden on doctors and other health workers who are already overworked.
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It described the decision as impractical and unjust, taken without considering ground realities.
KGMOA pointed out that Community Health Centres function under conditions very different from Family Health Centres and have wider responsibilities.
It said existing government norms on minimum staff strength are not being followed and no new posts have been created in these centres in recent years.
The association said many Community Health Centres operate with only three doctors.
Extending OPD hours till evening would mean that, apart from the charge officer, only two doctors would have to manage the OPD till 6 pm. This could lead to situations where only one doctor is available in the OPD during peak morning hours.
"In centres that are already crowded with patients, having a single doctor in the OPD will cause dissatisfaction, conflicts and affect the quality of care," the statement said.
KGMOA demanded that the government immediately withdraw the revised order and ensure adequate human resources before taking such decisions.
It also warned that it would strongly resist any move that adds further pressure on doctors who are unable to even take their entitled leave due to heavy workload.
The statement was signed by KGMOA president Dr Sunil P K and general secretary Dr Jobin G Joseph.
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Bihar CM Nitish Kumar takes oath as Rajya Sabha member
New Delhi (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha, marking the end of his two-decade rule in the eastern state and paving the way for a new chief minister.
The oath was administered by Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan in his chamber at a brief ceremony. The Chairman later welcomed him as a member of the Upper House and also on his return in Parliament.
Kumar took the oath in Hindi in the presence of Union Minister J P Nadda, who is also leader of the house, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ram Nath Thakur and Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal.
Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary was also present at the oath-taking.
JDU leader and party's working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh, besides BJP MP and former union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy and BJP chief whip in Lok Sabha Sanjay Jaiswal, were among those present during the oath-taking.
"Vice President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, administered the oath to Shri Nitish Kumar as an elected Member of Rajya Sabha, from Bihar, at Parliament House today," the Vice President's office said on X, while sharing pictures of the oath-taking.
After the oath-taking, Kumar came out of the new Parliament building and spoke about the time he was a member of the Lok Sabha and sat in the old Parliament building.
As Kumar assumes the Rajya Sabha role, it marks the end of his long two-decade rule in Bihar. Kumar will soon resign as chief minister and the NDA is likely to elect a new chief minister of Bihar on April 14.
He has already resigned as a member of the State Legislative Council on March 30 after he was elected to Rajya Sabha.
The JD(U) supremo was elected to the Upper House of Parliament on March 16, and he had to quit as an MLC in the 14-day period after his election.
