From denial of vigilance clearance to appointment as the Dean of Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), seemingly contradictory moves on the government’s part sparked an intense stir by doctors at the institute, hurting patient services for many days.
The office of Principal Secretary to Health had refused to issue vigilance clearance to cardiothoracic surgeon R.V. Kumar in April this year. Clearance was denied on April 18 citing pending cases in the Tribunal for Disciplinary Proceedings, Punjagutta Police Station and the High Court, the document shows.
When Dr. Kumar was appointed Dean of NIMS on September 6, incidentally by the same office that denied clearance earlier this year, it set off protests and forced doctors to petition the government.
The protesting doctors met in-charge secretary Sunil Sharma on Wednesday to air their grievance after meeting the health minister earlier this week.
“We have represented to the government and received a response indicating a redressal of our grievance is in order,” said K. Goutham, President of NIMS Resident Doctors Association, adding that the strike will be called off only if the government revokes its order. The faculty association, which had joined resident doctors in the strike on Monday, toned down its protest on Wednesday.
The grouse of the protesting doctors is that the alleged irregularities attributed to Dr. Kumar have been ignored by the government and procedure laid down in the NIMS Act has been set aside while appointing him as Dean.
The doctors said the government is seized of the matter, but they hope to air their grievance to Municipal Administration K.T. Rama Rao and Health Minister C. Laxma Reddy on Thursday at NIMS, where the Ministers are scheduled to inaugurate a new facility.