Reply sought from 6 officers over dereliction of duty

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 30

A day after a youth in Patiala district tested positive for Covid-19, six medical officers of the district health department have already been asked for an explanation — for dereliction of duty.

The Patiala Civil Surgeon has given 24 hours to the medical officers concerned, for the explanation, before he writes to the Health Secretary for their suspension.

In a letter to these officers, the Civil Surgeon said the work by the officers was highly condemnable.

A 21-year-old resident of Ramnagar village of Ghanaur block of the district — who had to be admitted to Ambala Civil Hospital after being symptomatic of Covid-19 — was tested positive for the disease. Following which, the Health department, led by Civil Surgeon Harish Malhotra and district nodal officers Dr Sumeet Singh and Dr Yuvraj Narang, had rushed to the village to carry out the sanitisation process of the spot.

Malhotra said these officers blatantly violated the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). In an official communique, the Civil Surgeon said these officers — despite having the surgical gown PPE kits in their possession — didn’t, allegedly, issue them to the multi-purpose health officials and thereby wasted the kits.

‘Officials didn’t come out of the van’

Showing strong displeasure, the civil surgeon said the paramedical staff was going from door to door while the said officers did not come out of the health van. He said it appeared that either they did not properly understand the guidelines or deliberately flouted them.

The Civil Surgeon, in the order, said he had to face embarrassment owing to this.

These officers are District Immunisation Officer; In-charge Community Health Centre, Ghanaur; Medical Officer, Ghanaur; Medical Officer, Primary Health Centre (PHC) Harpalpur; and two medical officers of mini PHC, Mardanpur.

The Civil Surgeon said if the said medical officers failed to give the explanation, they were likely to be suspended. He would write to the health secretary to take action under the Disaster Management Act.