Srinagar: Due to “unauthorised absence from their duties,” the government has suspended two physicians.
Officials said that two medical officers, Dr. Asim Shameem Zaz and Dr. Kawaldeep Kour, had taken time off but neglected to return to work after it had expired.
Dr. Zaz, who was working as a medical officer, requested 89 days of vacation from the CMO in Budgam to go to Canada for a wedding-related event.
But after the vacation time was through, he didn’t come back to work, which resulted to his dismissal.
In a another instance, Dr. Kour, a Medical Officer, had requested a one-year study vacation from GMC, Baramulla.
She was fired because she neglected to return to work after the leave time had finished.
The Jammu and Kashmir government’s Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department issued the termination orders, claiming the employees’ unauthorised absence as a breach of norms and regulations.
The department discovered that neither doctor had requested permission to leave their jobs before doing so.
According to the department, Dr. Kour was given one last chance to explain why she was missing work but didn’t do so within the allotted time limit, which resulted in the termination of her services.
Records from the department show that Dr. Kour had previously received approval for a study leave in 2021.
But on April 1, 2021, she quit her position without first getting permission from the appropriate authorities, which was blatantly against the rules.
Additionally, on the Administrative Department’s advice, Dr. Kour received a notification asking her why she had started her course without first getting approval from the appropriate authorities.
She had a one-year fellowship in laparoscopic surgery from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, but she was supposed to be back at the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, by April 1, 2022, but she didn’t. Her services were thus terminated under Article 128 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Regulations, 1956, with effect as of April 1, 2021, according to a formal decision.
In the instance of Dr. Zaz, he requested a leave of absence but did so without the required authorization and did not report back to work.
Later, he asked for an early or voluntary retirement, which was permissible under the relevant regulations.
It was discovered after an investigation that Dr. Zaz, a medical officer, had purposefully departed the country without first receiving authorization from the appropriate authorities.
“Although he had sought an earned leave, it was not approved, so he next asked for an early or voluntary retirement. Due to his continued unauthorised absence from work and departure from the country without prior authorization or leave sanction, Dr. Zaz’s services were terminated under the terms of Article 128 of the J&K Civil Service Regulations, 1956, with effect from October 28, 2019.
