Bengaluru: Even before a clear picture could emerge on the controversy over his involvement in a diagnostic, pathology and radiology centre in Victoria Hospital and whether there was any wrongdoing, Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah preferred to step down from his post as director of the company on Friday, apparently to save his father the embarrassment. The resignation comes some 48 hours after Yathindra’s involvement in a premier Government hospital in the City was attacked on the grounds that he may have been given undue favours.
A virtual unknown until the media turned its spotlight on his involvement in Victoria hospital, the pathologist who ranked third in the CET examination told Deccan Chronicle “I am resigning as the director of Matrix Imaging Solutions to safeguard the image of my father Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He had nothing to do with the contract.” “Since it’s a private limited company I need to complete certain formalities before I quit as the director.
I will return to Bengaluru on Sunday and do the needful,” said Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Sources close to the developments, told this newspaper that Yathindra was asked by his father to quit Matrix. Dr. Yathindra said he would not like this controversy, which has taken a political colour, to tarnish his father's political career. “My father had nothing to do with it and was not even aware that we were bidding for the contract to set up a diagnostic centre in Victoria Hospital under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana . In fact, my name was not even mentioned in the tender. We have followed the tender process with due diligence and to put my father's critics to rest, I have sought legal advice on the matter and I am told that there has been no violation of code of conduct. I don't want my father to suffer and I am willing to resign from Matrix.”
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Dr Yathindra hinted at “vested” interests and the nexus between the government hospital and the private diagnostic centres, whose interests are bound to be hurt if Matrix, which plans to offer quality and timely reports to patients at lower rates than Victoria Hospital, is allowed to come up. Dr Yathindra (36) is the younger son of the CM and is a practicing pathologist. He along with his radiologist friend Dr Rajesh Gowda with whom he has been working since 2009 had last year bagged the contract for Matrix Imaging Solutions to set up a pathology laboratory in Government-run Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences & Research. The duo had got the contract under the PMSSY early this year after the tender for rendering CT and MRI scanning services in the hospital was floated under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements Act, 1999.
