Absent during duty hours, Show cause notice to 3 Senior Doctors of RIMS

Ranchi: The management of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi has issued show-cause notices to three senior doctors who were associated with the cardiology, cardiothoracic vascular surgery department, and the surgery department after a surprise inspection was carried out which found the trio to be missing from duty.

They were directed to explain their absence within 48 hours.

The management is reported to have instructed the RIMS finance officer to put on hold the salaries of the three doctors until further directions were issued, reports the Times of India.

The surprise inspection was performed by a team of three officials comprising Rims director Kameshwar Prasad (who led the team), additional director (administration) Chandan Kumar, and Dean Vivek Kashyap. They visited the cardiology department on Friday afternoon. 

However, the three senior doctors were seen attending to patients on Saturday after they were served the show-cause notices. Rims director Dr Kameshwar Prasad said, "The inspections will continue to ensure attendance of senior faculty members in the medical college and hospital. Their absence adversely affects patient care besides the classes of undergraduate and post-graduate students. The absentees will face disciplinary action."

The official memo signed by the three inspecting officials stated that the three senior doctors identified as the professor and former HOD of the cardiology department, Dr Hemant Narayan Rai, the associate professor of the cardiology department, Dr Praveen Srivastava, and the associate professor of CTVS, Dr Rakesh Kumar were found absent from their duty. It was further stated that the doctors were unable to provide a satisfactory response when senior officials of RIMS attempted to contact them over the phone. 

One of the inspecting officials told TOI, "This amounts to indiscipline as well as dereliction of duty." The notice was issued by Kumar and it stated that the doctors are required to file replies under Section 7.24 of the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulation 2002. It further adds that a physician posted in a medical college as a teaching faculty member or otherwise shall remain in the hospital/college during duty hours. 

Additional Director, Kumar said, "If the doctors who have been found absent from duty do not present their side within the next 48 hours, it will be taken as they have nothing to present from their side and appropriate action will be taken against them." He further told the Times of India, "One of the doctors of Cardio Thoracic Vascular Surgery (CTVS) department has submitted his clarification. Disciplinary action will be initiated against him if the clarification isn't satisfactory. Absence from duty comes under personal misconduct and it will be mentioned in their service files too."

Dr Rakesh Choudhary, the associate professor of the CTVS department who was one of the three senior doctors to receive the show-cause notice said that he had left the RIMS campus minutes before the inspection team had arrived. He said, "I wasn't feeling well due to a sprain. I had verbally informed the HOD before leaving the campus."

Dr Prasad said that the RIMS management has been receiving innumerable complaints about doctors indulging in private practice. He added that a special vigilance committee led by the joint secretary-rank official of the state health department was constituted in 2021 under the directions of the Jharkhand high court for matters about these. The panel members would be investigating the case and would submit the report to the RIMS management. Dr Prasad noted, "We will take it to the governing body of Rims."

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