After doctor took on Nishant Kumar, Bihar’s health department hits back

Rejecting Singh’s claim that he had not been informed about the minister’s visit, the department said, “PMCH Superintendent had spoken to him over the phone at around 7 pm on June 22”, a day before the programme. It said Singh was informed that the superintendent would welcome the minister while the principal would deliver the vote of thanks, “an arrangement to which he had agreed”.

The department also disputed Singh’s claim that senior officials had been informed in advance about his burn injuries. It said he communicated the incident only “several hours” after the minister’s programme had concluded. “This makes it clear that the WhatsApp messages were sent by Dr Singh only after the matter surfaced in the media, in an attempt to defend himself,” it said.

Responding to Singh’s claim that he was absent due to medical reasons, it said it first learnt through a “decoy patient” that he was available at his private clinic during office hours. “This was followed by inquiries at both the departmental level and through the Patna district administration,” it said.

Investigators found the government vehicle allotted to the PMCH principal parked outside Singh’s private clinic. “The patients leaving the clinic told officials they had just received treatment from him, despite his assertion that he had suffered burn injuries and was unable to speak on the phone at the time,” it claimed.

It added that when officials entered the clinic, the compounder informed them “Dr Singh would see patients from 7 pm” and during scheduled morning and afternoon hours of 9 am to 10 am and 2 pm to 3 pm. “This clearly indicates that Dr Singh routinely attended to patients at his private clinic during official working hours,” it alleged.

Based on these findings, it said Singh was, at first glance, found to have shown “negligence towards official duties, dereliction of duty, misuse of government resources and unauthorised absence”. It clarified that relieving him of the additional charge of PMCH principal and posting him to Bettiah was “only an administrative transfer” and “does not fall under the category of punishment”.

It also criticised Singh for holding a press conference instead of first submitting a representation explaining his absence, saying this was against the Bihar Government Servants’ Conduct Rules. It said a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted and that “Singh’s version would be obtained before any further action is taken”.

At his press conference earlier on Friday, Singh maintained that he had been absent because he suffered burn injuries the previous evening and that “my children and doctor sent photographs of my injuries through WhatsApp to the secretary, the medical superintendent and other officials”.

He also denied allegations of engaging in private practice during office hours, saying: “My house itself has a clinic. If patients are sitting there, should I chase them away with a stick? They have interpreted that as private practice.”

Singh has been associated with PMCH since 1988, serving as a faculty member and professor for nearly three decades and training generations of doctors across Bihar. A prominent figure in the state’s medical community, he completed his MBBS and postgraduate medical education at PMCH before rising to become Senior Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry.

His long association with the state-run hospital has also seen administrative friction previously: he was removed from a post around 2019 before being reinstated following court intervention.