Salary of nine govt doctors withheld

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">HAJIPUR: In a swift action, the salary of nine government doctors posted at different public health centres has been withheld following the death of nine children due to food poisoning after consuming toxic </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="" font-style:="" italic="">prasad</span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:=""> in Raghopur in Vaisali district on last Sunday.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Vaishali DM H R Srinivas told TNN on Wednesday that stern action would be taken against these doctors and their salaries are being withheld for their frequent absence from duty.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">The doctors, posted at Public health centres in Raghopur, whose salary was withheld and department action recommended, are Rajendra Kumar, Vinod Kumar, Ashok K Pandey, Birendra Pratap, Vijay K Gupta, Vinod K Nayak, Brajnandan Prasad, Sunil Keshri, and Vimal Kumar.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Meanwhile, a sum of Rs 2000 were given to the bereaved family members; Rs 500 for those who have been hospitalised by the Red Cross Society on Wednesday.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">On the day when nine children died of food poisoning after consuming toxic </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="" font-style:="" italic="">prasad</span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">, a team of doctors was sent by the DM to visit the affected Ibrahmibad village but the team retuned without visiting the village and falsely reported to the DM that everything was under control, sources said.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">According to official sources, there is one public health centre each at Raghopur, Jurabanpur, Mallickpur and Birpur under the Raghopur assembly segment represented by the CM Rabri Devi.But the government doctors seldom visit the public health centres.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">DM said when he smelt foul, he went personally to Raghopur and found the situation to be alarming. "Had the doctors sincerely done their duty, diarrhoea epidemic might not have erupted," said Srinivas adding he personally brought dozen seriously ill children by his vehicles.</span></div> </div>