Health Minister Orders Probe on Six State Doctors for Dereliction of Duty

The inquiry was prompted by a complaint against Gudivada Government Area Hospital medical superintendent Dr Indira Devi, alleging that she had signed the attendance register without attending duty. A preliminary inquiry found that Dr Devi was absent for 22 days between January and March, and managed to register her attendance using a facial recognition system. Her presence was noted in Machilipatnam for one day, Tanuku for eight days, and Visakhapatnam for 13 days. As her written explanation was unsatisfactory, the minister has ordered action against her and the district coordinator for health services in Krishna district, as well as the district medical and health officer of Krishna, for failing to conduct a proper inquiry.

An inquiry was also ordered regarding Yemmiganuru Area Hospital civil surgeon Dr Sudha, who has been absent from work since February 2022 for a year without obtaining mandatory permission or providing a proper reason.
The ACB submitted a report alleging that five disability certificates were illegally issued in exchange for bribes ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 at the Government Hospital in Eluru. As a result, an inquiry has been ordered into three Civil Assistant Surgeons - Dr N. Rajendra Prasad, Dr T. Ramamohan Rao, and Dr Swarna Srinivasulu.

Municipal health officer Dr P. Venkat Ramanaiah of Nellore Municipality was also found guilty of dereliction of duty, with the ACB report stating that he failed to collect Rs 12 crore in revenue, neglected to monitor 44 hospitals operating without permission, and failed to check 27 function halls. The minister has given permission for municipal authorities to take action against him.