Reinstate doctor fired for alleged misconduct: medical bodies' to govt

Several medical bodies and doctors' associations on Friday sought reinstatement of a doctor -- a Diplomateof National Board (DNB) trainee at a civic hospital here -- who was terminated from his services for an alleged misconduct.

Piyush Pushkar Singh, a doctor, who was terminated by authorities at the NDMC's Hindu Rao Hospital on April 15 with immediate effect, has denied the allegation, saying, "if I have done anythingwrong, let them prove it".

North Delhi Municipal Commissioner Varsha Joshi on Thursday claimed he was terminated for allegedly divertingdonated materials which were to be entered in the stock of the facility.

Doctors' groups including the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) and the Medicos and Scientists Forum (PMSF) have demanded that Singh be reinstated and a "proper inquiry be conducted" into the alleged incident.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Twitter said he has spoken to the NDMC Commissioner on the phone in connection with the issue.

"I have just spoken to Varsha Joshi Ji @suraiya95on the phone & asked her to call the aggrieved doctor & resolve the issue. Pl wait for her action. I'm sure she will take appropriate redressal steps," he wrote in response to a tweet in connection with the alleged incident.

"I appreciate your concern for the medical community. I shall ascertain the facts tomorrow and take adequate steps," he tweeted.

Joshi had said on Thursday that Singh was only a DNB student under a senior doctor in the orthopaedic department. A probe was not required because "all the facts are established on record," she had claimed.

DNB is the title awarded by the National Board of Examinations (NBE), an autonomous academic body under the Union Health Ministry.

The NBE in a letter to the medical superintendent of the hospital on Friday said "disciplinary proceedings against him (Singh) have not been been taken up before the Grievance Redressal Committee, which is essential requirement for NBE to address such issues, thereby, resulting in a serious procedural lapse".

It also said that it seems the principles of "natural justice have been ignored" in arriving at the decision of his termination.

Also, the penalty of termination levied upon Singh "does not appear to be commensurate with the alleged misconduct on his part," the NBE letter said.

"It is hereby directed to cancel the termination order with immediate effect" and allow him to resume his DNB training, and intimate to NBE latest by April 20, the letter added.

The DMA in a statement on Friday, while seeking revocation of the termination order, also said it has written letters to the Delhi chief minister, health minister and the Lt Governor, requesting to constitute an inquiry.

The official order issued by the Medical Superintendent of the Hindu Rao Hospital on Wednesday had said the doctor had been "terminated from his services with immediateeffect for bringing disrepute to the institution".

AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association in a statement on Friday said it has written to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan telling him that suchactions against healthcareworkers wouldonly"demoralisethemespecially in asituation where thereis a scarcity of professionals" in the time of coronavirus pandemic.

Hindu Rao Hospital administration should "exercise restraint and conduct a genuine enquiry into this issue and let the justice prevail," it said.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, Joshi alleged that the DNB student "diverted donated materials which were to be entered in the stock of HRH by directly entering into correspondence with the donor agency which was already being communicated with by the MS".

"He then proceeded to distribute the materials himself to whoever he pleased," she said in the tweet.

The PMSF demandedthat Singh should be reinstated forthwithwithout any adverse consequences to his service record. "An inquiry be constituted into the circumstances of action taken by the Commissioner of NorthDelhi Municipal Corporation and responsibility be fixed for the same," it said.