Healthcare Held Hostage in Poonch ! CMO, MS Silent Partners? Health Dept Caught in Web of Attachments
Directorate’s Orders Mocked in Poonch; Is Health Dept Answerable to Anyone?
harpreet singh
Poonch, June 8: In a glaring act of defiance, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Poonch appears to have disregarded a series of strict government directives mandating the immediate cancellation of all attachments and deployments within the Health Department of Jammu and Kashmir.
Despite the issuance of clear orders by the Director Health Services Jammu (vide order No. DHS/J/Adm/2692-2714 dated 16-05-2025) and a subsequent circular by the Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education Department (Circular No. 53-JK(HME) of 2022 dated 29.07.2022), officials under the CMO Poonch continue to enjoy unauthorised attachments in open violation of the government’s will.
Despite explicit and repeated government instructions aimed at restoring transparency and efficiency in healthcare delivery, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Poonch is alleged to have orchestrated, enabled, and overlooked a rampant culture of unauthorised attachments both written and verbal across all blocks of the district, including Mendhar, Mandi, Surankote, Chandak, and Poonch town itself. The documents available with
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this correspondent reveal that many employees, including NHM staff and regular appointees, have been attached at their preferred postings often urban and central locations bypassing their original duty stations in rural and underserved areas. This not only cripples healthcare delivery at the grassroots but also raises serious questions about governance ethics within the district health administration.
These are regular employees who were officially posted to other health units but are currently discharging duties at unauthorized stations with the apparent consent of the CMO. Among them; Balbir Kour, Lady Health Visitor (LHV) originally posted at SDH Mendhar, is presently working as Incharge at SNCU, District Hospital Poonch. Nirmal Singh, Senior Pharmacist posted at PHC Bandichachian, has been attached to District TB Centre, Hospital Poonch.Darshan Kour, Head Assistant from the Superintendent’s Office, and is currently attached to the CMO Office Poonch. Liyaqat Hussain, X-ray Technician originally posted at PHC Chandak, is attached to PHC Dhargloon Mendhar.
Additionally, NHM (National Health Mission) staff have also been attached in gross violation of norms. It is pertinent to mention that as per NHM guidelines, NHM staff cannot be attached under any circumstances due to the project-based and area-specific nature of their contracts. Despite this, the CMO Poonch has continued to issue verbal and informal orders to relocate NHM staff. These unauthorized internal attachments, lacking official approval, reflect deep administrative misuse and demand urgent redressal.
The NHM employees reportedly attached include; Fakhira Mustafa, from District Hospital Poonch to Surankote. Showkiya Sultana, from SDH Surankote to Poonch. Romi Malik, from Poonch to Surankote. Rohit Sharma, from SDH Surankote to Poonch, and attached since 2016. Sidra Bano, reportedly placed at an attachment without transparent justification.
Sources further revealed that more regular and NHM employees are attached verbally, with no written orders issued a deeply alarming trend that sidesteps all official protocols. A senior insider, requesting anonymity, stated, “All is not well in the Poonch Health Department. The MS of District Hospital Poonch is fully aware of these irregularities but seems helpless or complicit. Something fishy appears to be going on between the CMO and MS.”
The big question is why are both the CMO Poonch and MS District Hospital Poonch opposing or ignoring the orders of the Director Health Services Jammu? If senior health officers choose to defy clear directives with impunity, what message does that send about the state of administration in vital public institutions?
The order from Director Health had categorically stated that all employees must report to their original place of posting with immediate effect, and those continuing in attachment posts would face salary withholding. Yet, a subsequent order by CMO Poonch (No. CMOP/987-92 dated 17-05-2025) appeared to delay implementation further casting doubt on the intent of compliance.
A “pick-and-choose” policy, as alleged by insiders, has added fuel to the fire. Attachments of some employees especially those without influence have been canceled, while others with backing or connections remain untouched. The selective enforcement and lack of transparency erode public trust and deny rightful services to rural patients.
What’s even more troubling is the inaction of Directorate of Health Services Jammu, which despite full knowledge of this non-compliance, has taken no punitive step against the CMO or MS. Is there a larger protection network shielding these violations?
Public outrage is now mounting. Civil society activists, RTI crusaders, and health volunteers are demanding a high-level probe by the Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education Department into not only the conduct of CMO Poonch, but also the inertia of the MS DH Poonch, who remains complicit either by choice or by compromise.
This is not just a policy failure. It’s an ethical failure. Rural lives are being traded for bureaucratic convenience,” said one retired health officer.Until accountability is established and order is restored, Poonch’s patients remain the ultimate victims of a decaying system dressed in official silence.
