Doc sacking case: Health minister steps in to resolve crisis

NEW DELHI: A day after a doctor from the Hindu Rao Hospital was terminated from his services, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan intervened in the matter and directed the authorities to resolve the crisis.

“I have just spoken to Varsha Joshi (Commissioner, North Delhi Municipal Corporation) on the phone and asked her to call the aggrieved doctor and resolve the issue. Please wait for her action. I’m sure she will take appropriate redressal steps,” the minister tweeted.

When contacted, Joshi said, “I will resolve it soon.” While the doctor claimed that he was the one to arrange the face shields for the health workers, the Commissioner alleged that the doctor had passed on the acquired kits to his colleagues which he is not authorised to and it was the hospital MS who was incharge of receiving the kits.

However, with the Commissioner posting her decision to terminate the doctor on Twitter the medical fraternity came down heavily on Joshi’s decision. The AIIMS RDA wrote a letter to the union minister on the issue.

The Joint Director of the National Board of Examinations, Dinesh Chand on Friday had directed the medical superintendent of Hindu Rao Hospital to reinstate the doctor concerened saying the penalty of termination levied on the doctor was not commensurate with the alleged misconduct on his part.

“It is hereby directed to cancel the termination order in respect of Dr. Piyush Pushkar with immediate effect and allow him to resume the the DNB training, under intimation to NBE latest by 20th April, 2020,” the letter read.