MP HC asks UPSC, Centre to fill up vacancies in Bhopal hosp

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to fill up vacancies of doctors and staff at the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre.

The BMHRC was set up by the Union government to treat victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.

A division bench of Justices R S Jha and Sanjay Dwivedi was Wednesday hearing PILs filed by Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sangthan, Bhopal Group for Information and Action and the Bhopal Gas Peedith Sangarsh Sahyog Samiti No 4.

The PILs claimed that posts of doctors and other medical staff were lying vacant at the BMHRC for the past several years, said petitioners' counsels Naman Nagrath and Rajesh Chand.

The high court sought a report from respondents in the next hearing scheduled after four weeks, failing which action could be ordered against them, the counsels said.

The high court pulled up the respondents for not complying with previous orders passed on January 9 and October 22 last year, asking them to fill up the vacancies.

It also directed the Union and the state governments to submit a point-wise compliance report on recommendations made by a court monitored committee in its 13th quarterly report about lack of facilities in dispensaries treating Bhopal gas victims.

The court monitored committee is headed by retired Justice VK Agrawal, the petitioners' counsels said.