Vet council cancels registration of former director, two deputies

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, March 18

In a case of “professional misconduct”, the Punjab Veterinary Council has cancelled the registration of a former director and two deputy directors of the Animal Husbandry Department for three months.

The council, a statutory body with more than 3,000 veterinary doctors registered with it in the state, regulates veterinary practice, education and research in the state.

The council has cancelled the registration of Dr HS Sandha former director, Animal Husbandry, and Dr Pawan Kumar Gandhi and Dr Jaidev, both deputy directors.

The case pertains to 2016 when on the demand of veterinary pharmacists (re-designated as veterinary inspectors), the government had asked the Animal Husbandry Department to explore the possibility of allowing the veterinary pharmacists to carry out minor veterinary procedures.

Sources said following the government “directions”, the department headed by Dr Sandha allegedly went out of the way to allow pharmacists to do minor veterinary procedures.

However, the council opposed the decision and said since the pharmacists were not professionally trained to do procedures, the government must review its decision.

Following that the council formed a fact-finding committee to look into the issue. The council committee in its report observed that veterinary practices could be done only by registered veterinary practitioners and allowing pharmacists to do practice was illegal. They held these senior officials of the department responsible for “allowing veterinary pharmacists to do the work they were not trained for”.

The council found that it amounted to professional misconduct and all three doctors were found involved in the decision.