Govt not keen on probe: NEIGRIHMS director

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 21, 2019

SHILLONG: The Director of the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Dr DM Thapa has questioned the government for shying away from instituting a probe into the alleged illegal business in the institute.

Talking to media persons here on Monday, Dr Thapa while reacting to a recent statement by the health minister AL Hek said the allegation of corrupt practices of HoD Cardiology Dr Animesh Mishra is not an opinion but a discovered truth by the Vigilance Section and Security of the NEIGRIHMS.

He said the vigilance section of the institute along with the hospital security on April 30, this year had busted a nexus between the HoD Cardiology and the private pharmacy- Sanjo Medical when a consignment of cardiac stents and other devices were seized at the gate of the hospital.

“An internal enquiry proved the fact that the multi-crore business was going on in the hospital for past many years. The internal enquiry committee report was forwarded to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on September 4, for further probe by some external agency,” he said.

The incumbent director however said instead of probing into the corrupt practices, officials of the ministry of health and family welfare circulated a “secret note” in the Governing Council for removal of the director NEIGRIHMS on unknown charges.

“Every year we take pledge to act against corrupt practices but practically, it is proved otherwise in NEIGRIHMS,” he lamented.

The health minister AL Hek had termed the allegations as personal opinion of the director.

Hek had also informed that the director NEIGRIHMS was asked to resign by the Governing Council in its meeting chaired by the Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on October 14, since he had failed to meet faculty and administration for past two years.

However denying this, the director has claimed that around 26 meetings was conducted by him with the faculty members of the institute.

“The minister (Hek) had also stated that the decision was unanimous of all members, but the decision seems to be subjective and not based on facts. How the Governing Council reached to the conclusion of removing director is not clear and beyond the comprehension of mind,” he said.

Asked, Dr Thapa said that he is open to any high level enquiry to probe into the entire matter.

“The preliminary inquiry report has been submitted but the minister wants to sack a whistle blower rather than catching the thief. However, the fate of a person cannot be decided like this as there is a process of natural justice…let the inquiry decide if director is wrong punish him,” he said.

Meanwhile, the director further informed that there were 14 agenda items and 4 supplementary agenda items during the 13^th Governing Council meeting. He said the main agendas discussed were the increase of MBBS seats to 100, granting of full autonomy to NEIGRIHMS, sanction of additional faculty and other posts for medical college, nursing college and RCC, implementation of Assessment Promotion Scheme, adding of 200 hospital beds to medical college, regional trauma centre, dental college, paramedical school and others.