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Srinagar, Oct 8 (UNI) As many as 28 health officials, including six doctors, were found unauthorisedly absent from duty when a Jammu and Kashmir minister paid a surprise visit to one of the hospitals in the valley yesterday, an official spokesman said today He said Minister of State for Health and Power Peer Mohammad Hussain paid a surprise visit to the Sub-District Hospital at Pampore in south Kashmir's Pulwama district and found 28 health officials, including six doctors, unauthorisedly absent from duty.

The Minister ordered strict action against the errant officials.

He directed the Director Health Services, Kashmir to transfer these officials to Ladakh and Kupwara as punishment for negligence of their duties.

Expressing deep concern over the ''careless attitude of the absentee'' officials, the Minister asked the senior officials to conduct inspection on regular basis to check and discourage the trend of ''truancy and absenteeism.'' UNI AG MYK SI VV1214