Vij suspends two Jind doctors ‘without verifying facts’

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jind, June 26

Health Minister Anil Vij raided the Civil Hospital here today and suspended two doctors.

He visited the hospital around 11.30 am and inspected all documents and wards. On checking the attendance register, he found Dr Ramesh Panchal, dental surgeon, was marked present though he was absent from the hospital. He was suspended immediately.

The other doctor to be suspended was child specialist Seema Vashishat for prescribing “out-of-stock medicines”.

“I want to make it clear that I am not going to tolerate any negligence by any employee of the Health Department and inconvenience to any patient. I will visit the hospital again. If things do not improve, more senior officers will face strict action,” said Vij.

The suspended doctors alleged the minister took action in haste and without verifying the facts. They claimed they had documents to prove their innocence.

Dr Panchal, who has the charge of Deputy Civil Surgeon (Transport), alleged someone else signed in the attendance register in his place while he was on leave today (Friday). He demanded an inquiry to expose the person, who signed in his place.

“I left the hospital on Thursday after submitting my leave application in the Civil Surgeon’s office. The authorities should have marked casual leave against my name in the register in the morning, but someone put my fake signature to create a problem for me,” Dr Panchal told The Tribune while returning from Rohtak.

He further said he had unearthed a transport scam last week and claimed someone wanted to target him.

Dr Vashishat, meanwhile, said Vij suspended her on the basis of a prescription slip issued in January.

“When I prescribed a medicine mentioned on the prescription slip in January, it was in stock. At present, the medicine is out of stock,” she said, adding the patient to whom the medicine was recommended visited her today after January.