BALASORE: The CDMO of Balasore S. Iqballudin Ahmed has been transferred nearly six months after the Class-IV employee appointment scam in Balasore district headquarters hospital (DHH) came to the fore.
Benumadhab Satpathy replaces Ahmed, who has been transferred as senior medicine specialist to Koraput DHH.
Earlier, while head clerk of the headquarters hospital Premananda Panda was suspended, pension of ADMO NC Behera, who was allegedly in-charge of the recruitment, has been stopped.
“Charges were framed against the three, including the CDMO, during a joint-secretary level inquiry. While actions were taken against the clerk and former ADMO, Ahmed was transferred. Departmental proceedings will be initiated against the guilty soon,” said an official of the Health Department.
The Health Department had earlier directed Ahmed to cancel all the appointments undertaken during his regime with immediate effect. A communication issued in this regard indicated that Ahmed would bear the expenses to fight in his favour in the court if any legal complications arises after the cancellation of the appointments.
A high-level probe was ordered following a report in ‘The Express’ which had exposed the illegal appointment of Class-IV employees in the district headquarters hospital.
On July 14 last year, a report ‘Employees’ Selection Under Cloud’ published in these columns had highlighted the blatant violation of rules and guidelines during the selection of contractual workers for Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS) along with allegations of kickbacks in the appointments.
Sources said, in two phases, the CDMO appointed 97 persons as Class-IV employees on daily wage basis. While a circular of the Finance department says that the appointments should be done through a service provider, the CDMO, in violation, had directly selected the persons and appointed them on a daily wage basis.
On the other hand, the employees who were disengaged had moved the High Court which on December 12 had ordered in their favour. It ruled that the Class-IV (daily wages) employee cannot be disengaged. The CDMO is yet to carry out the order.
Meanwhile, the disengaged employees have filed a contempt of court petition and are on dharna inside the hospital premises since December 22 seeking justice.