Odisha Introduces New Guidelines for Medical Officers’ Off-Days

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has issued new guidelines for medical officers in the Odisha Medical & Health Service (OMHS) cadre working at District Headquarters Hospitals (DHH) and other peripheral health institutions under the control of CDM & PHOs. These guidelines pertain to off-days in lieu of notified public holidays and come with specific conditions.

1. Medical officers who work on designated public holidays notified by the state government will now be entitled to an equal number of alternative off-days within the same month, provided there is adequate staffing at the health facility.

2. To ensure the smooth operation of hospitals and the delivery of healthcare services to the public, the Superintendent or Medical Officer In-Charge of the facility will create a monthly roster to ensure all working hours are adequately covered.

3. The determination of the number of alternate off-days in lieu of working on holidays will be at the discretion of the Superintendent, considering the availability of human resources at the health facility. In cases of inadequate staffing, the Superintendent may reduce the number of alternate off-days proportionately for eligible doctors in that month.

4. In single-doctor medical institutions, the Superintendent or BPHO of the CHC will arrange off-days, taking into account the presence of AYUSH medical officers and pharmacists.

5. It’s important to note that these alternate off-days cannot be combined with Casual Leave (CL) or Earned Leave (EL).

6. Any alternate off-days allotted in a month cannot be carried over to the following month, with the exception of public holidays falling in the last week of a month.

7. These guidelines supersede the previous practice of availing weekly off-days.

8. It’s imperative for all medical officers to adhere to these guidelines diligently.

These guidelines aim to ensure a balanced work schedule for medical officers while maintaining the quality of healthcare services in Odisha.