Hyderabad: Deputy civil surgeon Dr D. Saraswati, the resident medical officer at Gandhi Hospital who was absent from duty on Wednesday despite being told to be present by the superintendent Dr Shravan Kumar has been ordered by the health minister Dr Laxma Reddy to be “surrendered back to the department”.
“Surrendering” a doctor means that he or she will have to go back to the unit where they had been employed - in the tertiary or teaching levels. The process amounts to a demotion.
The health minister had paid a surprise visit to the hospital on Wednesday and called a meeting with the resident medical officers to discuss their roles in controlling corruption and ensuring proper patient care. But when the roll call was taken, it was found that one of the RMOs was missing from the meeting. When questioned about the absence, the hospital’s superintendent, Dr Kumar, claimed there were previous instances of lapses concerning the particular doctor – in this case, Dr Saraswati.
Director of health and medical education, Dr M. Ramani, said RMOs are “the first line of authority” and they must be strict and vigilant on the ground level with paramedical staff and other employees.
“The ward which has been assigned to them is in their control and they must ensure there is no corruption or negligence in their ward. But there have been constant complaints (about this doctor) and the superintendent Dr Kumar too was not happy with her functioning. Which is why it was decided to send the doctor back,” Dr Ramani said.
The doctor will now be posted in an area hospital unit or first-level unit such as a public health centre. Despite several calls to Dr Saraswati, she remained unavailable for comment.
Meanwhile, Dr Laxma Reddy spent two hours at the medical store of Gandhi Hospital and inspected the inventory to check the expiry date of drugs. Those working at the medical store were also questioned as the presence of two vials of drugs in the paediatric ward had raised a hue and cry last week. Several children in the ward had allegedly suffered after-effects from the drugs administered.
Hygiene inside the premises of Gandhi Hospital was also a matter of concern and Class IV employees – support staff - were reprimanded and told that they must ensure that all the garbage is properly disposed of.
