GVMC awaits appointment of Chief Medical and Health Officer

Visakhapatnam: Eighteen months after Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr M. Satyanarayana Raju was promoted and transferred to Ongole in July 2015, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation is yet to get his successor. Despite the surge in dengue and malaria cases in the city this year, the key post has been lying vacant. Being the overall in-charge of the corporation's medical department, the CMHO oversees a range of functions including sanitation, solid waste management and bio-medical waste management, medical care, management of urban malaria scheme, birth and death registrations, AIDS control and implementation of prevention of food adulteration Act.

According to sources, even though an official, a former CMHO, was finalised for the post a few months ago, the order was cancelled at the last minute due to objections raised by a ruling party MLA. After Dr Raju was transferred to Ongole, Zone-IV AMHO Dr Murali Mohan was in-charge CMHO for about four months. After he stepped down, GVMC additional commissioner (general) G.V.V.S. Murthy heads the department. According to a source, the state government looking for a qualified persons at least in the rank of a deputy civil surgeon for the job. “Many were in race from other major government hospitals in the state. Due to lack of a CMHO, there is no coordination between the departments,” the source said.