Patna: 90% posts of therapists vacant in government hospitals; HC seeks reply from BPSC

PATNA: The Patna high court on Friday sought reply from Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) over its failure to make recruitment of 132 therapists for appointment across government hospitals in state for which government had sent requisition more than four years back.
During the hearing of public interest litigation filed by one Ranjit Kumar Yadav, it surfaced that almost 90% of sectioned posts for physiotherapists and occupational therapists across sadar, referral and sub-divisional hospitals in Bihar are lying vacant since several years ultimately causing common people to suffer a lot as they can’t avail physiotherapy mainly in case of fracture and paralysis.
A division bench of Justice Jyoti Saran and Justice Partha Sarthy while hearing the PIL expressed its displeasure over the situation and failure of BPSC to make the regular recruitments. The commission has been given time till July 26 to file a counter-affidavit on the matter for next hearing.
On February 16, 2015, the health department joint secretary sent requisition letter to BPSC for making recruitment of 65 physiotherapists and 67 occupational therapists. On March 16 next month, the commission sought some clarifications from the department which was resolved through a letter from the department dated May 26, 2015. However, since then the recruitment process remained in limbo.
During the course of Friday’s hearing, petitioner’s advocate Surya Narain Yadav submitted before the court that for more than last two decades, the state government had failed to make regular appointments of the two categories of therapist.
The court was also apprised by Yadav that the total sanctioned posts of the two therapists at the three types of hospitals are 237 against which mere 25 are available at present which come to around 90% vacant posts.
The counsel also apprised the court that last time it was in 1995 when the state government had made regular appointments on the posts on basis of an advertisement for 16 vacancies published on April 8, 1995.
The next appointments were made 2014 when state government published advertisement for hiring of 34 therapists on contract for a year with condition that they would be paid Rs 20,000 monthly remuneration along with 30% of fees charged from patients as consolation who come at hospital for physiotherapy.
While counsel Sanjay Pandey appeared for the commission, an assistant counsel of AAG Pushkar Narayan Shahi appeared for the state government.