Additional Municipal Commissioner Rubal Agarwal said, “If any civic medical officer or staff tries to avoid the responsibility, then disciplinary action will be taken against them.” (File photo)
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Sunday reappointed medical officers for each ward while forming dedicated teams to check for coronavirus in the city. A senior PMC official said those personnel not following transfer orders will face disciplinary action.
The PMC had earlier discontinued the system of medical officers for each ward due to personnel shortage in civic-run hospitals, and had instead appointed five zonal officers to coordinate all health-related issues in the city. But a civic officer said, “The earlier system of ward medical officers was very effective. It helps in proper coordination of public health services and has proved efficient in the past.”
Additional Municipal Commissioner Rubal Agarwal said, “If any civic medical officer or staff tries to avoid the responsibility, then disciplinary action will be taken against them.”
A civic official said the medical officers for each of the 15 ward offices will be assigned to areas as per their respective ward office jurisdiction where they would be responsible for all civic-led health-realted actions.
Their appointment has been done on their service experience and geographical knowledge of the particular ward office area, a civic officer said. “It will be futile to appoint a ward medical officer who lacks geographical and demographical knowledge of the area. So, only those with relevant information are appointed,” he said.
Agarwal said the PMC has roped in 90 nurses, 75 community convenors and 100 Asha workers in each ward office area to work under ward medical officers. They will be accompanied by sanitary inspectors. “We will also rope in staff from other civic departments as per the requirement,” he said.
Meanwhile, the PMC has shut down its 202 gardens and more than 100 sports facilities across the city. The civic solid waste management department has also started sanitising buildings where infected patients were residing.