CHENNAI: At a time when Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and top health officials are reviewing dengue preventive measures in place, the Chennai corporation’s heath department has no city health officer.
The post is currently held by an ‘in-charge’ as corporation officials say that no other official on the corporation’s panel is qualified for the post. D. P. Kuganantham, who was the city health officer (CHO), retired last mnth. Additional health officer (AHO) Dr M. Jegdeesan was appointed as the in-charge.
Usually, the AHO is promoted as the CHO after the health officer retires. But with Dr Jagadeesan not having completed two years as an AHO, he could not be appointed, corporation officials said.
Meanwhile, zonal health officer of Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar Dr Senthil Nathan who is the seniormost ZHO, with 22 years of experience, has petitioned corporation commissioner Vikram Kapur regarding his appointment as the health officer.
While corporation officials said that Senthil Nathan was not eligible, Mr Nathan said that the corporation had deferred his promotion on flimsy grounds. “During my service the corporation cited flimsy reasons, like failure to pay electricity charges and whitewashing the labs, for not promoting me, which is not the work of a zonal health officer, but a clerk’s,” Nathan said.
Nathan has even filed a case in court, seeking intervention. “In 2013-14, a health officers’ panel deferred my name. But this year, my name was included in a panel of four zonal health officers, but with least preference,” he added.
According to the corporation, none of the officials had the qualifications for the post. “If the government allows any relaxation of the requirements, any one of these four officials could be posted as the CHO.”
At a time when CM Panneerselvam and top health officials are reviewing anti-dengue steps, the corporation’s heath department continues to be headless without a city health officer.
