Govt doctor turns auto driver in Karnataka, blames babus for his plight

BENGALURU: While the state faces a massive shortage of staff to tackle the Covid-19 situation, a 53-year-old district reproductive and child health officer is running an autorickshaw for a living after his salary was withheld for 15 months.
Dr Ravindranath MH served in the health and family welfare department in Ballari district for 24 years before turning into an autorickshaw driver in Davanagere city. The doctor blames IAS officers for his plight. He says his troubles began when he refused to help an IAS officer get a posting in 2018.

“A zilla panchayat CEO, who later took charge, continued to harass me,” Ravindranath said. “They found a technical error in outsourcing health staff and although I proved to them it was not my mistake, I was suspended on June 6 last year. Four days later, I appealed in the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) which in October reversed the government order and ordered I be reinstated.”

He was then posted as a senior medical officer at Sedam General Hospital, Kalabaurgi district in December.
“I have served 17 years in rural areas with distinction and have been awarded for improving the public healthcare system in Ballari district,” Ravindranath said. “The taluk post was a demotion, but I reported for duty and applied for leave the very next day to fight this case. I approached KAT seeking a direction to appoint me at a district-level hospital. In January, KAT gave the department one month to appoint me in district level hospital.”

Ravindranath says brass have ignored KAT’s orders. “I am yet to get a posting. When I wrote seeking a transfer, officials responded saying my presence was required in Sedam due to Covid-19. When KAT gave its ruling, there was no pandemic. Hundreds of medical staffs were transferred during this time including a doctor from Sedam General Hospital. I have filed a contempt petition and a hearing is scheduled for September 11.”
The doctor decided to shift to his home town Davanagere to eke out a living. Asked why he chose to be an auto driver instead of practising privately, Ravindranath said, “If I open a private clinic, I’ll have to go to the same officials to get a licence. I am sure they would not oblige. I did not have enough funds to start a business. I approached a couple of banks to get loans, but they refused to sanction an autorickshaw loan to one who has worked in the healthcare sector. Eventually, an agency financed me, and I have started my new journey.”
He said health officials are feeling the stress and should not end up like Nanjangud taluk health officer (THO) Dr SR Nagendra who ended his life last month. He said there are plenty of other options to survive.
Jawaid Akhtar, additional chief secretary, health and family welfare department, said he was unaware of the case and will look into now that it has come to his notice.