Relief is on the way for lakhs of people who depend on Sanjeevani Clinics in urban settlements and mohallas for everyday treatment. The National Health Mission (NHM), Madhya Pradesh, has appointed doctors as Contractual Medical Officers to fill long-vacant posts in these clinics. The order has been issued by the Mission Director. The doctors were selected through interviews following walk-in-interviews held in August, and have now been directed to report at their allotted clinics.

 

The appointment is purely contractual and will remain valid up to 31 March 2027. Doctors must join within 15 days of receiving the order. If they fail to report in time, then the appointment will stand automatically cancelled. Joining will be completed online through the HRMIS portal. Before that, the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) will verify all original documents. Temporary certificates will not be accepted. Doctors must work only at the clinic where they have been posted. No attachment elsewhere will be allowed, and no transfer will be granted for two years. In a tough move to check absenteeism and early exits,

 

NHM has made two conditions clear. A doctor who does not join within 15 days, or quits within six months of joining, will be barred from applying for any NHM contractual post for the next six months. Every selected doctor will also have to undergo a fitness examination by the District Medical Board before joining. Only after being declared fit will the appointment be confirmed. Doctors must reside at their place of posting and mark daily attendance on the Sarthak App. The move comes at a crucial time. The State Government has been under pressure to fill vacancies in Sanjeevani Clinics on priority, with Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla recently directing officials to speed up recruitment. At the same time, the government is pushing telemedicine and the e-Sanjeevani platform to bridge the specialist gap in remote areas. For patients, the message is simple: if doctors join on time and stay put, long queues, closed clinics and repeated referrals may finally reduce.