Chandigarh, February 24:
The Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday gave approval to the bifurcation of the common cadre of the departments of Health & Family Welfare and Medical Education & Research.
The move is aimed at prompt resolution of disputes arising out of the establishment matters between these two departments through separation of controlling authority and rules of both the departments.
Notably, when Punjab came into existence, the departments of Health & Family Welfare and Medical Education & Research were a single entity, with a common set of promulgated in 1945.
Later, the departments of Medical Education & Research and Health & Family Welfare were split into different departments, and separate directorates of Health & Family Welfare and Medical Education & Research were established. The Medical Education & Research department came into existence on April 2, 1973. However, the cadre controlling authority of various categories of Para-medical staff under the Directorate of Medical Education & Research remained under the control of the Health & Family Welfare department, with the official staff of Grade-3 and Grade-4 in Directorate of Health and Family Welfare having common seniority.
