‘Will help Principals allocate more time to research, healthcare’
Srinagar: J&K Government on Wednesday issued orders defining new roles and responsibilities for the Administrators, Personal Officers and Administrative Officers of GMC Srinagar and Jammu.
The fresh distribution of powers, the medical college faculty has been alleging, disempowers the Principals of these medical colleges.
The fresh order comes nearly 20 days after the J & K Government framed a draft proposal of allocating powers that the GMC Srinagar and Jammu principals held to the three bureaucrats appointed by the Government.
The order issued on Wednesday states that the posts of Administrator, Personal Officer and Administrative Officer have been existing in the medical colleges.
“The purpose of these positions is to assist the principals of these medical colleges, who are executive heads of the institution, so as to relieve them of day-to-day routine administrative matters.”
The order justifies the redistribution of powers stating that the Principals of medical colleges provide academic leadership and facilitate research and that their role would be disrupted if they have to deal with routine administrative matters and personal matters of employees.
The order states that the purpose of redistribution of powers is to strengthen the role of the principals as academic heads of the institution while shifting the responsibilities of personal matters of employees and routine administrative matters to Administrators, Personal Officers and Administrative officers.
“This will enable the principals to allocate more time to research, academics and healthcare,” reads the order.
It states that extensive consultations have been carried out with stakeholders including the present Principals of the medical colleges, Administrators and others.The fresh responsibilities of the administrators include supervision of non gazetted employees of the medical colleges; APRs, inquiries and personal matters of all employees; reference of vacancies; budget and planning; all matters of estates of the medical colleges including hostels of the medical colleges; monitoring of funds allocated under National Health Mission; Hospital Development Fund; draft formulation of recruitment rules; security and other issues. The hierarchy of the matters has been decided as that the Administrative Officers would route the files through Personal Officers to Administrators.
“The Administrators shall dispose of the routine issues at their level as per the laid down rules and regulations and shall place all other matters as required, before the Principal concerned for approval.”The proposal to redirect the powers that were vested till date with the Principals had recently created uproar in the medical faculty.
Many medical faculty associations from various Government Medical Colleges had voiced their concern over what they called the dilution of powers and disempowerment of the Principals.
Medical Faculty Association of GMC Srinagar today said that a meeting to discuss the new arrangement of roles and responsibilities would be held on Thursday.
