Health ministry to dismiss over 600 employees

The health ministry has announced that fifteen posts in the health services in the atolls will be dissolved next year, resulting in the dismissal of over 600 employees.

The ministry said on Thursday that the posts were not included in the restructured framework of the health services in the atolls.

“However, before the posts are abolished and the employees are let go, the ministry has decided to transfer those who meet the criteria and wish to transfer to vacant posts in the ministry or the ministry’s sector,” it reads.

The fifteen posts that will be abolished are assistant manager, public health programme coordinator, regional health administrator, physiotherapy assistant, dental assistant, purchasing officer, assistant foreman, laboratory assistant, midwife, cook or cook’s assistant, electrician, assistant electrician, health auxiliary, watcher and ambulance attendant.

Since the number of posts will be lower when the health service centres are ranked and restructured, the ministry said, it has decided to dismiss more employees.

Further, it continues, employees in the posts that will not exist under the new structure from 1 January who wish to resign can do so.

It adds that health service employees who resign will be eligible for allowances and benefits as specified by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in a circular on 4 May.

Mohamed Fahmy Hassan, spokesperson of the CSC, told Minivan News today the commission was in discussions with the health ministry about the proposed changes to the structure.

Last month, the government announced plans to reorder the ranks of the civil service to increase the number of technical staff.

President Mohamed Nasheed said at the time that the changes were needed to government administration to ensure efficient delivery of services.

At the time,Ahmed Assad, state minister of finance, said almost 40 per cent of employees at a typical government office were support staff.

“[These are] not the employees needed to provide the services of that office,” he said. “Therefore, to carry out the work entrusted to us by the people, we need to reorder how the employees are ordered now.”
The president took the example of a health centre in an island.

“What usually happens is there’s no doctor. There might be a nurse. But there are 20, 25 or 30 employees at the place. A lot of cleaning staff and various administrative support [staff],” he said.

“What’s actually happening is that the people who are supposed to provide the service or do the work are not there. But there are people to support the people who are not there.”

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