ESIC Resident Doctor alleges harassment by Director, seeks PMO's intervention

Requesting for the Prime Minister's intervention, the doctor has asked for an unbiased inquiry by a high-level independent committee regarding the matter.

In fact, the doctor has also mentioned in the letter that the Director of ESIC, Noida has a history of issuing termination letter of staff members if they raised genuine issues. "And I am the latest victim of his whims and fancies and arbitrariness" stated the doctor in the letter dated 18.06.2021.

This comes after the Medical Superintendent, in a memorandum dated 14.06.2021 notified about the termination of the said doctor from the Anesthesia department. "This issues with the approval of Director (Medical), Noida" the memo stated.

However, the doctor in the letter alleged that this termination resulted after she submitted a letter to the Director on April 26 raising the genuine concerns regarding the safety of the doctors working at the hospital. Allegations are that the Director forced her to resign and after she denied to resign the Director threatened her to terminate from service.

ESIC, Noida became a dedicated Covid hospital on 20^th April 2021. "There was a deficient or inadequate facility of triage, donning and doffing facilities, N95 masks availability. Poor quality of PPE kits which could not bear gentle pressure," mentioned the doctor in the letter directed to the Prime Minister.

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In order to address these issues related to safety concerns a meeting was held on April 20 itself. However, after listening to those concerns the Director was allegedly very insensitive and disregarded all of them.

Following this, the doctor also raised these concerns in writing and submitted it to the Director on 26^th April, 2021. After this, the doctor arranged for her own safety and continued performing her duty.

"Though, none of the safety concerns which I raised were addressed and I was forced to work in an unsafe environment where there was a complete disregard of standard safety norms and government guidelines, but still I continued on my duties towards the citizens and the country," she mentioned in the letter. On 31^st May, the Director allegedly called the doctor and pressurized her to resign on the grounds of drafting a letter where she had raised the safety issues.

"Realizing my disagreement to resign, he started threatening me to terminate if I didn't voluntarily resign. Instead of appreciating our efforts or supporting us, he tried to break the morale of resident doctors by suppressing their voices," stated the doctor.

"If I had an intention to leave, I would have left earlier and wouldn't have continued to work in the unsafe environment during the peak Covid times," she added.

She further mentioned that on 14 June, a letter of termination was drawn against her and there was no reason mentioned for the termination. "The Letter of termination is a huge setback for me and my career, and a huge 'disappointment for all covid warriors. This is a complete misuse of power by the Director, ESIC, Noida, and violation of my basic rights as a human and as a doctor. After serving in the hospital in a very difficult phase of the 2nd wave of pandemic and treating most critical cases in ICU, the resident doctors are being dealt with inappropriately," she stated in the letter.

"This is also against the beliefs and visions of the honorable prime minister sir who believes in appreciating the hard work of doctors by various means and showering blessings and best wishes in the form of flowers and daps. The way termination letter has been issued is violative of the principle of natural justice and my fundamental rights as a citizen and also as a doctor who wants to serve my country man and woman," the doctor added.

Further claiming that the Director of ESIC, Noida had a history of being transferred from Ludhiana for serious irregularities found in working of the hospital, the doctor alleged, "He has a history of issuing termination letter of staff members if they raised genuine issues. And I am the latest victim of his whims and fancies and arbitrariness."

Requesting for the Prime Minister's intervention in the matter, the lady doctor from the Anesthesia doctor further mentioned, "Being harassed and hopeless, I have no option but to knock on the doors of the highest office in India You are the only hope, and it is a really pitiful state that this matter had to come to you. It raises many questions of safety issues of doctors in India, especially a lady doctor who has just started her career."

"I plead, with great hope, for unbiased inquiry by a high-level independent committee including numbers from outside ESIC and the medical field. I believe with your intervention, by unbiased investigation of this case, will lead to revoking of this termination letter and justice being served to me, while punishment being served to the guilty," stated the letter.

Sharing the letter and the memorandum on Twitter, a doctor from AIIMS wrote, "Dictatorship? Director of ESIC, Noida has terminated one of our senior colleagues for speaking out on scarcity of resources and operational inefficiency. Such intimidation tactics will not be tolerated! @myogiadityanath and @narendramodi should intervene and reinstate her ASAP!"