Less than year on post, GMSCL MD transferred

Less than a year after Dr Darsi Suman Ratnam was transferred as MD of Gujarat Medical Service Corporation Ltd MD, he has been shunted back to his previous post as Executive Director of Tribal Development Corporation. This move comes amid several reports of alleged mismanagement in dealing with Covid-19 crises in the State.

IAS officer Navnath Gavahne of 2016 batch, who was chief personnel officer in the office of Commissioner of Health, will replace him as GMSCL MD.

Ratnam had been given charge of GMSCL in September 2019. Reliable sources in the government said the 2005-batch IRS officer came under radar following controversies surrounding the Dhaman issue and procurement of masks. “The last straw was 32,000 bottles of spurious sanitisers worth Rs 48 lakh that made way to public health centres, police stations and Secretariat even though FDCA had collected samples for testing,” the sources claimed.

This was considered a major lapse at a time when the State government is getting flak for the rising number of Covid-19 active cases.

Since the government had a lot to answer for, they must have thought that changing leadership will help in subtly burying the matter, said an official on anonymity.

Mirror tried to contact Principal Secretary, GAD (Personnel) Kamal Dayani but he remained unavailable for the comments.