PATNA: At a time when all leaves of medical officers and other personnel have been cancelled till May 31 due to the outbreak of COVID-19, more than three and half hundreds medical officers have been found absent from their postings in Bihar.
The State Health Society had randomly monitored the duties of those medical officers from March 31 to April 12 to ascertain their attendances on the places of posting in 37 out of 38 districts.
According to state's principal secretary (Health) Sanjay Kumar, 362 medical officers were found absent in an unauthorised way from the places of postings in a random monitoring. He said that clarifications have been sought from each of them under different sections of Disaster Management Act 2005 and the Epidemic Disease Act 1897.
The highest number of 31 medical officers, found absent in unauthorised way, were posted in Nalanda followed by 27 in Jehanabad, 25 in Patna, 20 in East Champaran, 18 each in Bhojpur and Munger (which has emerged as the hotspots of 102 COVID-19 cases now), 15 in Madhepura and other districts.
Kumar said that the department has once again asked those medical officers to join the duty to continue their professional services in fight against the outbreak of COVID-19. Sources said that if they don't send their clarifications soon after receiving the letters or join the duty, department will take legal action under relevant sections of Disaster Management Act.