BHOPAL: A government order cautioning the Male Multi-Purpose Health Workers (MPHWs) who failed to mobilize even a single man for sterlisation in 2019-20 has created a stir in Madhya Pradesh.
The order states that salaries of such male MPHWs would be withheld and they could even face compulsory retirement.
With the opposition BJP making the order a major political issue in the state, the Congress government issued a fresh order on Friday revoking the earlier order with immediate effect.
Also, National Health Mission MP Mission Director Chhavi Bhardwaj was removed from her post and attached as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) with the state secretariat.
Earlier in the day, senior BJP leaders, including former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan slammed the Congress government over the development. Chouhan tweeted over the issue, questioning “Is this an example of undeclared emergency in the state or Emergency Part II from the Congress.”
The circular signed by NHM Mission Director was issued on February 11 to all divisional commissioners, district collectors, regional directors (health) and chief medical and health officers (CMHOs).
While citing the National Family Health Survey-4 report (which recorded that only 0.5 percent of men were opting for sterilisation in MP) the order directed all concerned officers to identify male workers with zero work output. It asked the officials to apply the ‘no work no pay’ principle against them if they had failed to even mobilize one man for sterilisation in the 2019-20 period.
Further, the February 11 order stated that if the existing situation didn’t improve by February 20, proposals recommending compulsory retirement of the ineffective MPHWs would be sent to NHM Madhya Pradesh HQ via concerned district collectors. From the NHM MP HQ such proposals/recommendations would be forwarded to the MP State Health Directorate for necessary action.
Importantly, the number of men opting for sterilization had been declining in MP for the last five years.
The number which stood at 3397 men as on February 20, 2020, was much less than that of women - 3.34 lakh. In 2015-16, the state conducted 9,957 vasectomies. In the three subsequent years, the numbers were 7,270, 3,719 and 2,925, respectively.