The State government has sacked from service 804 doctors, 1,308 nurses and lab technicians (Group ‘C’ staff) and 35 administrative officials (Group ‘B’) for unauthorised absence for more than 120 days.
The State Health and Family Welfare Department announced two dozen decisions on Thursday and most of them will come as a “New Year’s gift”, said Minister for Health and Family Welfare K.R. Ramesh Kumar.
The Minister said the doctors sacked had remained absent for more than four months because they had either gone for higher studies or had started private practice.
He said canteens would be established in all taluk and district hospitals and idli and rice and sambar would be made available at maximum discount rates for patients and the attendants. The Department of Food and Civil Supplies would provide food items at concessional rates. Canteens would be run by women help-self groups, NGOs or women industrialist. Mysore Sales International Ltd. would set up water purifier plants on canteen or hospital premises. He said a decision was taken to reorganise the department. A public health cadre would be created and that would lead to reallocation of the existing cadres and new positions at State, district, and taluk level.
