KOZHIKODE: The transfer of 28 junior public health nurses in the district has kicked up a row, with the Kerala Government Junior Public Health Nurses and Supervisors’ Union accusing the District Medical Officer (DMO) of abruptly relocating public health staff, which they said, would disrupt the ongoing measles-rubella vaccination campaign.
Though the union claimed that the District Collector had directed V. Jayashree, DMO, to take “necessary action” in the issue, the officer said she had not received any such communication till Saturday evening.
In a representation forwarded to the Collector, union vice president Padmaja P.C. alleged that the nurses were transferred on Friday, and that the names of most of them were not in the draft transfer list prepared by the DMO earlier this month. Ms. Padmaja claimed that the abrupt transfer would adversely affect the vaccination campaign, as the district was much behind others in terms of coverage.
She accused the officer of taking revenge on the staff who had sought action against those who had allegedly roughed them up at Thorayoor a couple of months ago. The public health staff had staged a dharna near the collectorate after the incident and had threatened to go on an indefinite strike if the culprits were not brought to book.Meanwhile, Dr. Jayashree said that transfer was a routine process in the department, and that it would not affect the vaccination campaign.
“Preparation for the campaign had begun months ago. As the mode of implementation revolves around various blocks with many primary health centres and sub-centres under them, the transfer of one or two people will not affect the campaign,” she said. Dr. Jayashree refuted the charge of personal vengeance, claiming that most of those who had been transferred had asked for it.
