Hyderabad: GHMC doctors raise a stink over garbage duty

Hyderabad: Medical doctors working in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) have turned into garbage-cleaning supervisors! Incensed over this, they are opposing the additional responsibility, which they say, is not their job professionally. The GHMC official agency, the sanitation wing, said the doctors' involvement in ensuring a bin-free city has created confusion in discharge of duties.

These doctors hold a diploma in public health along with an MBBS degree. They were recruited as medical officers of health by the municipal corporation.

The doctors are responsible for checking outbreak of epidemics like diarrhoea, issue of birth and death certificates, trade licences and food containment, apart from overseeing works. They also regularly conduct health check-ups of the sanitation workers. Every municipal circle has an AMOH (Assistant Medical Officer of Health) in-charge of health.

According to a GHMC official, 30 AMOHs are working in six zones of the city including Charminar, LB Nagar, Serilingampally, Kukatpally, Secunderabad and Khairatabad.

A medical officer, on condition of anonymity, told The Hans India that doctors are being forced to supervise garbage cleaning and collection work.

"During the Covid pandemic we have performed duties in containment zones, provided medical facilities, like treatment, medical supplies, and ration to infected patients, but AMOHs are being pressured to visit garbage sites to ensure cleaning of roads and streets on daily basis; sorry this is not our job," lamented the officer.

Another medical officer said AMOHs are attached to the Sanitary Field Assistants (SFAs) to work under them for undergoing training to learn how to analyse the amount of garbage produced in the city and the logistics of transporting it. A drive was launched by the GHMC to make the city bin-free. As part of the drive, all dust bins were removed from streets, roads, residential areas, public places, and even commercial places. Later almost every corner of streets, lanes and roads were piled up with garbage.

To ensure that garbage is cleaned every day the AMOHs have been directed to visit the dumping point and make sure that sweepers clean roads and collect garbage.