PHI running sans teaching staff for last six months

By Vikas Vaidya

The Public Health Institute (PHI) that has been upgraded to State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra is running without teaching staff. The institute is expected to impart training to medicos, paramedical staff of whole State to bring the quality in healthcare. This is the only institute throughout the State and it is lacking the required manpower.
Earlier the institute had a nomenclature as PHI. It is among the few old institutes of Maharashtra. Recently it was upgraded to State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra (SIHFW) with three other sections were merged into it. They include Health and Family Welfare, Leprosy Training Centre and RCTC health services. The Principal of PHI is upgraded to the post of Director.
The expectations from the institute is national level training and state level training to be imparted to doctors and paramedical staff. It also runs courses like  Diploma in Public Health and Health Education. The Institute is supposed to conduct joint training, workshop and seminar. Apart from imparting training, it is expected that the institute should do research.
To conduct all these activities, the institute should have full teaching staff including Director, Senior Professor and Assistant Professor at least. Its Director Dr Swapnil Lale was transfered six months ago. No person was posted in place of Dr F A Meshram as Senior Professor who got retired in last six months. Senior Lecturer Dr D J Trivedi was transferred and nobody was brought in his place. As a time-gap arrangement the Deputy Director Dr Sanjay Jaiswal has given the additional charge of Director. But that would not resolve the issue.
Maharashtra’s Public Health Department is facing problem of transfer and vacancy. According to reliable sources, there is discrepancy in public health department. Some people are never been transfered and they remain at one place for longer time. For example Dr Satish Pawar or Dr Archana Patil are working in Directorate since long and never transfered outside Mumbai or Pune. In Nagpur also some people were recently transfered unnecessarily without their term was completed. There is common picture where people from Mumbai or Pune show unwillingness to join in any place at Vidarbha.
Because of the discrepancy in transfer policy the SIHFW is facing music. It is evident enough that nobody at higher level has ever thought what would happen to this old institute.