Govt Surgeon suspended over bribery allegations
Bengaluru: A government surgeon working at a hospital in Gudibande in Chikkaballapura district has been suspended following allegations of demanding and accepting bribes for performing surgeries.
The action comes after a video aired on a television news channel on June 11, purportedly showing the doctor demanding and accepting money from patients in exchange for performing surgeries, news agency PTI reported.
The footage has sparked public outrage and brought considerable embarrassment to the department.
According to officials, he had been serving as the in-charge Taluk Health Officer since August 2019.
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In response to the video, the District Health Officer of Chikkaballapur submitted a preliminary report recommending a departmental inquiry.
A fact-finding team was constituted, which found prima facie evidence supporting the allegations.
Based on the findings, the government has invoked Rule 10(3) of the Karnataka Civil Services (Classification, Control, and Appeal) Rules, 1957, to suspend the doctor with immediate effect, reports PTI.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that a case has been registered against the medical superintendent, a doctor, and a cashier of a charitable hospital in Panchavati after a farmer accused them of demanding and accepting bribes for the cancer treatment of his wife, despite her being eligible for free treatment under a government scheme. According to the complainant, the accused demanded Rs 30,000 from him for his wife's treatment without giving any proper explanation behind the charge. He first paid Rs 9,000, and later Rs 11,000, making it a total of Rs 20,000. Despite paying the amount, he was not given any receipt for the transaction.
He further alleged that the money was demanded unnecessarily since he was eligible for the government's Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Scheme, which provides cashless healthcare services, including surgeries, hospitalisation, and medical care for beneficiaries.
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