Bangalore
Mirror: Bangalore: Saturday, 03 October 2015.
BMTF
registers FIR after RTI activist files query on officials' qualifications.
The Bangalore
Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) registered an FIR against 12 BBMP health
officers and other BBMP officials on Thursday. Reason: The officers have been
getting post-graduation allowance even though the masters degree from Rajiv
Gandhi University of Health Sciences is not recognised as a PG course.
The BBMP
medical health officers are in dock after an RTI activist sought information on
their educational qualifications. It was found many health officers have
provided unrecognised post-graduation (PG) certificates to the BBMP
administration to seek PG allowances which are provided to the medical health
officers. As per Medical Council of India's post graduate medical education
regulation 2000, Masters in Public Health (MPH) and Diploma in Public Health
(DPI) are not considered PG qualifications in public health.
The 11
accused medical health officers listed in the FIR are Dr Vedavathi BJ, Dr
Sujatha S, Dr G Dhanalakshmi, Dr Komala K R, Dr N Bhagyalakshmi, Dr Nayanatara
N Patil, Kalavathi Devi L, Dr Sunitha B, Dr Sandya Rani, Dr Sanghamitra and
BBMP officials and others.
Speaking to
BM, Udaya Shankar P, an RTI activist, said, "A few months ago, I had
complained to the BBMP health officials about an encroachment on the Rajakaluve
in DJ Halli where some residential and commercial establishments were raised.
But the health officer did not take it seriously. When asked to lodge a
complaint against these encroachers, they did not take any action. Later, I
applied for an RTI asking the list of BBMP health officers and their
educational qualification. I got to know that many health officers do not have
the recognised PG degrees but were still taking the allowances. They were also
given promotions from assistant surgeons to medical officers of health (MOH),
for which they were not eligible."
The RTI reply
sought on the recognised and unrecognised courses from the Directorate of
Medical Education (DME), stated, "According to the DME, three years
postgraduate course in community medicine exists in postgraduate seat matrix of
government of Karnataka and courses such as MPH (2 years) and DPH (1 year) do
not exist in postgraduate seat matrix of government of Karnataka."
"I asked
the BBMP administrator then to not consider MPH for promotion as per MCI
postgraduate medical education regulation 2000, as MPH is not a PG qualification
on public health. I also asked him to withhold the PG allowance of Rs 8,000 to
the doctors and recover the arrears of the allowance amount already paid since
two years. The BMTF has to conduct a detailed enquiry against the officials for
the negligence and injustice from which the BBMP has spent and lost crores from
these tainted health officers," said Shankar.
When BM
contacted one of the medical health officers, Sujatha, she said, "I know
about the complaint that is lodged with BMTF but I don't want to comment on
it." The phone numbers of the other medical health officers were either
switched off or not reachable when contacted.
BMTF
superintendent of police P Shivakumar said, "There are 12 health officers
who are accused of taking PG allowance by providing unrecognised certificates.
We have registered a complaint and booked a cheating case against the accused,
who include BBMP officials. The investigation is on and we have to verify in
detail who are involved in this case."