VACB flags decade-long rehiring of temp staff at govt hospitals; 85% of central funds spent on wages against 60% cap

Kasaragod: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) is examining the practice of retaining temporary employees on daily wages for years at government hospitals, with an inspection at Kasaragod General Hospital pointing to repeated reappointments without fresh recruitment or referral to employment exchanges. Vigilance sources said this practice is followed in government hospitals across Kerala, and they would look into it.

After an inspection at the General Hospital in Kasaragod, a top VACB officer said around 30 temporary employees, posted as receptionists, security personnel, attendants and computer operators, have been keeping their jobs for the past 10 years.

He alleged that vacancies were not advertised and that the same employees were repeatedly reappointed every six months without calling for fresh applications or interviews. "Special government sanctions are required to retain such temporary staff for more than one year. The records examined so far did not show special sanction," said the officer. Kasaragod Vigilance DySP V K Viswambharan Nair led the inspection at the General Hospital.

VACB officers said it would also be inspecting the files at the District Medical Office and the District Hospital in Kanhangad, where it suspects similar reappointments. "We are in the process of preparing a report for the Vigilance Director and the government," the officer said.

General Hospital Superintendent Jithesh V said Hospital Management Committee (HMC) staff were retained similarly across Kerala, with fresh recruitment generally undertaken only when an employee leaves, or additional posts are created.

Dr Jithesh rejected the suggestion that the arrangement itself amounted to a recruitment scam. He said replacing hospital staff every six months would require repeated training and could disrupt services, even in jobs that might appear unskilled. “Hospital cleaning is different from cleaning a house,” he said, explaining that staff had to be trained in procedures such as unidirectional cleaning and the use of separate buckets containing bleach solution, plain water and soapy water. Technical employees, including laboratory staff, also needed familiarity with equipment and hospital protocols.

The political sensitivity of the appointments is not new. In 2021, during the CPM-led LDF government's tenure, the CPM-controlled Kasaragod District Panchayat provided temporary cleaning jobs to the wives of three CPM supporters jailed for the murder of Youth Congress workers Sarathlal and Kripesh at Periya. The appointments had drawn attention to the role of political connections in access to temporary public-sector jobs.

The inquiry comes as the UDF returns to power after 10 years. A temporary employee at the hospital alleged that the inspections could be used to replace existing staff with recruits aligned with the UDF.

'Fund diversion' to keep temp staff
The Vigilance inspection also allegedly found that 85% of the central fund received under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) had gone towards wages and staff costs. "According to the National Health Authority guidelines, not more than 40% can be used for human resources, while the rest should be used for buying medicines, consumables and hospital infrastructure.

Dr Jithesh, who recently joined as the superintendent, said he did not check the accounts, but the current ceiling for wages was 60%.

Delay over disability certificates
Vigilance officers said they found a backlog of around 900 applications seeking disability certificates. "Some of the applications dated back to 2024," said the top VACB officer.

The team found that applicants who went to the hospital in person were issued disability certificates after the next medical board meeting. "We found that fishy because this process was made online to avoid inconveniencing people with disabilities," the officer said.

He said the medical board met once or twice every month and could process more than 100 applications in a sitting. "There shouldn't be a backlog. Bypassing the seniority list caused hardship to applicants who needed the certificates for employment, education and other purposes," he said.

Dr Jithesh said he could not comment on practices before he took charge but said he has streamlined the process, accepting applications only online.