New Delhi: Odisha cadre senior bureaucrat Dr Arun Kumar Panda has been appointed as Union Health Secretary.

The 1984-batch IAS officer would take over the new charge tomorrow as an additional charge apart from holding the post of Secretary in MSME Ministry.

A notification in this regard was published by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions

“The competent authority has approved assignment of additional charge of the post of Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare to Arun Kumar Panda, Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises w.e.f May 19, 2018 to June 3, 2018 during the period of absence on leave of Preeti Sudan,” the notification read.

In June last year, Panda was appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare.