Health Ministry issues notice to GB Pant Ex-HoD over 3-year absence, film career in Canada

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has issued a show-cause notice to the former head of the biochemistry department at GB Pant Hospital in Delhi, who received a monthly salary from the central government while working as a film producer in Canada.

The Government issued the notice after finding that the doctor had not followed any of the conditions that government employees should follow when taking a long leave; hence it sought an explanation for her unauthorised absence from duty for around three years while drawing a salary during this period.

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The concerned Dr Subberwal is active on social media and describes herself as a Canada-based film producer.

As per the latest media report by The New Indian Express, the Government has sought to know in the show-cause notice asking why action should not be initiated for non-compliance with rules and regulations related to government officials availing leave. It also asked why the unauthorised absence should not be treated as a break in service, and why allowance and pay disbursed during this period not be recovered.

Sources informed the daily that the Union Health Ministry has also sought details from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office for information on Dr Subberwal's visits to India during the period under scrutiny. Besides, sources said, the hospital has prepared a chargesheet in the case, which will be submitted to the Ministry. She was removed from the position of HoD nearly a month ago, they told The New Indian Express.

The GB Pant Hospital is under the control of the Delhi Government. The Head of the Biochemistry Department has the responsibility to supervise the labs in the hospital and handle matters related to the collection of materials required for the lab. However, she has been absent from work for years.

Being an officer in the Central Health Service, she is entitled to 10 earned leaves, 10 casual leaves, and 30 days of teaching leave every year. The maximum leave that can be taken for postgraduate certificate courses is 36 months. However, to avail such study leave, the doctors are required to sign a condition stating that they will return within five years.

Meanwhile, according to the TNIE report, the doctor went to Canada back in 2022 to study a film production course and has been drawing a salary during this period.

According to the sources, the action against the concerned doctor is rooted in a complaint filed in May by an employee of GIPMER, the medical college associated with the hospital. The complaint alleged that she went to Canada to pursue a filmmaking course in 2022 and was drawing a full salary.

It also alleged that she “hatched a criminal conspiracy with another doctor from her department, who was signing all official papers on her behalf as head of the biochemistry department in her absence, without the approval of the competent authority”, adds The New Indian Express.

According to the complaint, this caused “financial fraud/ loss” to the exchequer totalling about Rs 50 lakh.

Following the complaint, sources said, hospital authorities notified the Union Health Ministry. “The issue came to light in May when salaries were being disbursed to faculty heads. Officials found a major lapse in her attendance, which had been going on for nearly three years. She would show up at the hospital for just a few days each year. Once, her husband also came to give back-dated leaves. After the matter came to light, she was removed as head of the department, and her salary was put on hold,” a senior doctor at the hospital told The New Indian Express on condition of anonymity.

On her Instagram account, the doctor describes herself as a telly awards winner, filmmaker, writer, editor and medical doctor.

Her LinkedIn profile shows she pursued a certification course in animation from July 2019 to December 2020 from an online school — and that she pursued a Bachelor of Creative Arts degree from the Toronto Film School, and specialised in cinematography and film/ video production from April 2022 to April 2025. Her IMDB page shows she has made three films: Colors (2024), Totka (2021), Yours Faithfully (2019). In all three films, she listed herself as writer, director and producer.

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