Chandigarh: PGI director serves notice to Medical Superintendent

Punjab: After being reminded by the health ministry to take action against the MS of the institute, PGI Director is reported to have issued an official notice seeking clarification on The alleged misconduct by Dr Anil Kumar Gupta for “disobeying the ministry orders” and continuing a three-month-long assignment with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Nepal in 2014.

The notice served on him gives him a window of maximum 10 days to respond to the points mentioned in the notice. One of the query highlighted in the notice directly questions Dr Gupta on his leave without sanction.

It was only in December 2015 when the health ministry directed the PGI administration, after which the institute has sent the file back seeking some clarification on the matter from the ministry.

A note, accessed by Chandigarh Newsline, reveals that the joint secretary mentioning that “representation was never disposed of and Dr Gupta continued on his fellowship.”
“It is clear that Dr Gupta proceeded in the WHO fellowship after due section EOL [extra ordinary leave].
It is also clear that PGI director was the competent authority to approve his foreign assignment as well as EOL,” reads the note, written by the joint secretary (health). “As a matter of abundant caution, probably the file was referred to the PGI president for approval. On receipt of the intimation of this decision, Dr Gupta duly applied for reconsideration on citing reasons for the same.
The representation was never disposed off and Dr Gupta continued on his fellowship,” it said.
The joint secretary also had recommended to consider “Ex-post facto regularisation of Gupta’s foreign assignment on EOL basis.” Doubts over director’s role.

There are even additional serious implications of the case with further question beings raised about how the PGI Director granted the leave first, that too without seeking the approval of health ministry.
In other words, first granted the leave and then sent the file to the health
ministry.

Dr T D Yadav, president, PGI faculty association has commented strongly on the
matter implying that an action should be taken against anybody who has worked against the law.

PGI Medical Technologists Association general secretary Ashwani Munjal, as quoted by Express: “The PGI president has been approving the proposal and requests forwarded by director, PGI of ex-India leave/foreign assignment of faculty staff so that they can proceed on leave…the decision of president is then placed before the next meeting of the governing body for its ratification to complete the process under PGI Act,” he said. “If the PGI director was competent to grant ex-India leave/foreign assignment in this case, why he had sent it for approval of the governing body,” he added. Despite several attempts to contact him, Chawla was unavailable for comment.

As reported by the Medicaldialogues team earlier, the matter of the case is when in 2014 Dr Gupta when to Nepal for three months on a WHO assignment.  The then health minister Harsh Vardhan had expressed surprise during the PGI governing body meeting there was no consent of the governing body on such a long leave.

In the letter sent to PGI in December, it further implied that Dr Gupta continued his journey even after the health minister’s disapproval. It then directed that “regular departmental proceedings” might be initiated against Gupta in the matter. Dr Gupta, has however stated that he had the permission of the PGI Director on the matter, who is the “competent authority”.