Odisha Govt Issues Off-Day Guidelines For Medical Officers Working On Public Holidays

Bhubaneswar: To ensure proper and smooth healthcare to the people, the government on Thursday issued guidelines for allowing off-day in lieu of notified public holidays to medical officers of Odisha Medical & Health Service (OMHS) cadre posted at district headquarters hospitals and other peripheral health institutions in the state.

The notification, issued Health Secretary Shalini Pandit to all medical and public health officer/superintendents of all district, sub-division, and community health centres, including directors of Rourkela Government Hospital, Capital hospital and BMC hospital, has spelled out some conditions for the same. Check here

1. An OMHS cadre officer, who attended duty on a designated public holiday will be allowed to avail equal number of alternative off days in the same month, subject to availability of adequate HR at the health facility.

2. For smooth functioning of the hospitals and to provide proper health care to the general public of Odisha, the superintendent/ medical officer in-charge of the facility shall make a roster arrangement for that month, to ensure that all working hours are adequately covered.

3. The required number of alternate off-days in lieu of performing duty on notified holidays will be decided by the superintendent taking into account the availability of HR at the health facility. In case of inadequate availability of HR in a health facility, the superintendent/ medical officer in-charge may reduce the number of alternate off-days allowed to an officer. However, the reduction in alternate off-days will be done proportionately for all doctors eligible for the same for that month.

4. In single doctor medical institutions, the superintendent/BPHO of the CHC will make arrangement to provide off days following the same principle taking into account the presence of AYUSH medical officers and pharmacists.

5. Alternate off-days cannot be merged with CL/EL.

6. The alternate off-days admissible in a month cannot be carried over to the succeeding month, except when the public holiday falls in the last week of a month.

7. The above guidelines supersede the prevailing practice of availing weekly off-days.