Need to appoint more doctors to save people: Punjab & Haryana High Court

By LE Desk

Chandigarh, April 28: As Covid cases continue to surge unabated, the Punjab and Haryana has asserted that the need of the hour is to get more doctors for saving lives from the pandemic.

The assertion came as the High Court directed the state of Haryana to consider an MBBS doctor eligible against one of the 12 posts of medical officer still lying vacant in the general category, The Tribune reported.

“The situation in the country is such where the doctors are needed the most. Keeping in view the Covid-19 pandemic, it is the need of the hour to get more doctors to discharge the duties to save the citizens of the country from the pandemic of Covid-19,” Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi asserted.

Referring to the facts of the case, Justice Sethi added it was for this very reason that the government initially advertised 447 posts of medical officer, but later on decided to fill 642 posts out of the same selection.

The matter was brought to the HC’s notice after Dr Rashi Agrawal filed a petition through counsel Manoj Kumar Sood challenging the action of the state of Haryana and other respondents in not considering her claim for appointment against one of the 642 posts of medical officer.

Taking up the matter, Justice Sethi asserted the question before the Bench was whether the petitioner, allowed to compete and undergo the full selection process for appointment to the post, could be declared ineligible on the ground that the registration certificate by the Delhi Medical Council given to her was submitted after the last date of filing application form.

Elaborating, Justice Sethi added the court was to consider whether delay on the Delhi Medical Council’s part in awarding the registration certificate could defeat her right to seek appointment against the post, despite being fully eligible and candidates with lesser merit being appointed already.

Justice Sethi added once the petitioner was not ousting any candidate, who fulfilled the requisite qualifications envisaged in the advertisement, she was entitled to be considered eligible for appointment against one of the 12 posts keeping in view the peculiar facts of the case.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/need-to-appoint-more-docs-to-save-people-high-court-245039