Two doctors for one post

The 1200 bedded Hospital is a prestigious health care institution of Punjab and is attached to the Government Medical College. That makes it a teaching hospital under the control of the Department of Medical Education which has a separate directorate, a separate secretary to the government and a separate minister.

The Health Department has thus, no direct control over the hospital. Since March 1988, senior professors of medical college have held the post of Medical Superintendent MS except from July 15, 1992, to April 30, 1994, when a very senior Punjab Civil Medical Service PCMS doctor held this post.Inquiries made by ENS from Rajindra Hospital and Medical College whether Dr Yogesh Marwaha had joined duty as Medical Superintendent, were stonewalled as the acting principal and the medical superintendent refused to comment on this issue.

But unofficial sources revealed that the new incumbent is believed to have sent his joining report to the director of health services, Chandigarh. He is also said to be coming to the hospital regularly.

Dr Baljit Singh, Director of Research and Medical Education DRME, told ENS that he was aware of the new development and had apprised the medical education minister of this.

Singh said that the salary to the medical superintendent of this hospital was paid by the medical education department. Independent sources told ENS that ideally, the health department should take the concurrence of the medical education department if it wanted to post a PCMS doctor as medical superintendent, which it seems was not done in this case.

Even the deputy medical superintendent and about 50 teachers in the medical college are senior to Dr Yogesh Marwaha.

Dr. Yogesh Marwaha, when contacted on telephone today, said there was nothing wrong in his transfer as MS of Rajindra Hospital, as he was already in the rank of a civil surgeon.

Dr. Marwaha said he had joined duty on May 21 and sent his joining report to the director health services. He maintained that he had been attending office regularly.

Meanwhile, according to sources in the health department, the health minister has, in his attempt to streamline the functioning of the department, ordered shifting of as many as 11 district health officers. More transfers of DHOs are on the cards after the by-elections in Tarn Taran and Sham Chaurasi, the sources said.