Telangana government cancels all deputations in health department

Such employees have been given just one-day to report i.e. by 5 pm on Thursday, February 8, 2024 to report back to their original postings.

Hyderabad: The State government on Wednesday issued orders cancelling deputations across all cadres in the health department and has directed employees, who were deployed on duty/work order basis, to report back to their original place of posting by 5 pm on Thursday.

In a memo, the Secretary, Health, Medical Family Welfare, Dr Christina Z Chongthu directed the Heads of Departments (HODs) of the health departments to submit a list of employees whose on duty/work orders have been cancelled as on Thursday.

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“All the HODs shall certify that there are no employees working on work order basis in their respective departments by Thursday. The HODs shall issue deputations on need basis henceforth with written approval of the respective District Collectors/ Government only,” the government memo said.

Rough estimates suggest that there are thousands (Over 4000) of health care workers in Telangana across all cadres in the health departments who are on deputation.

Such employees have been given just one-day to report i.e. by 5 pm on Thursday, February 8, 2024 to report back to their original postings.

The decision to cancel all deputations in the Health department has not gone down well with unions and senior government health care professionals.

“This sudden decision has created considerable chaos and inconvenience for both employees and students, particularly those who are in the midst of academic activities. The abrupt cancellation of deputations requires employees to return to their original postings within a short notice period, which poses logistical challenges for many individuals who have made arrangements based on their current assignments,” the doctors said.

The decision to cancel deputations has disrupted the academic schedules of students who are enrolled in various educational programs, causing undue stress and uncertainty in their educational pursuits.

Given the magnitude of the impact caused by this memo, we request that the implementation of the memo be kept in abeyance until June 2024.

This extension will allow for a more orderly transition for affected employees and students, allowing them sufficient time to make necessary arrangements and minimize disruptions to their personal and professional lives.