Pune: PMC Health Chief Transferred Back To State Government Service

Pune, 1st March 2023: The health chief of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Dr Ashish Bharti, who was on deputation from the State Health Department, has been transferred back to his original position. The State Public Health Department has issued orders to appoint Dr Bharti as Deputy Director of the State Health Department.

With this development, the post of health chief of the PMC has become vacant once again. It is yet to be determined if the responsibility of this post will be handed over to an officer from the municipal corporation’s health department or if the state government will appoint another officer on deputation.

Dr Ashish Bharti, who held the position of District Health Officer, was deputed as Health Medical Officer of the PMC on September 30, 2020, for a period of one year. He was then given an extension of one year on February 8, 2022, until October 4, 2022. However, he has now been transferred back to the State Health Department.

It is noteworthy that the PMC’s health department has not had a full-time health chief for several years. Prior to Dr Bharti, the position was held by Dr Ramchandra Hankare, who was also on deputation. Now that Dr Bharti has been transferred, the PMC’s health department is discussing the possibility of handing over the in-charge responsibility of the post to an assistant medical officer in the health department, or if the state government will appoint another officer on deputation.

The PMC is yet to release an official statement on this matter.