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Forged certificates: Health dept promotes doctors against whom it had requested police action
The health department had sought action against these doctors based on the findings of the Punjab and Haryana high court constituted special investigation team (SIT) that probed the 2008-09 doctors’ recruitment scam.
The recent promotion orders of six doctors to the post of senior medical officers (SMOs) by the Punjab health department have sparked a row.
The promotion orders dated February 10 have created a furore as these six doctors are part of the 32 against whom the state health department, on December 19, 2023, had written to the Punjab Police to investigate and proceed as per law for submitting forged certificates during recruitment.
The health department had sought action against these doctors based on the findings of the Punjab and Haryana high court constituted special investigation team (SIT) that probed the 2008-09 doctors’ recruitment scam.
As per the recent promotional orders, a copy of which is with HT, six of the 32 doctors have been promoted following the recommendations of the departmental promotion committee (DPC).
Health department principal secretary Kumar Rahul, who had issued the promotion orders, said, “I am not aware of the issue, I will look into the matter.”
Meanwhile, a senior health official, pleading anonymity, said that the six medical officers in question had not been found guilty by any government agency.
“Moreover, if and when they would be found guilty of any wrongdoing, their promotions would be reverted,” the official quoted above added.
Notably, the SIT had submitted a report to the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking action against 32 doctors under sections 120-B, 420, 468, and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Supreme Court, last year in September, had also issued a notice to the Punjab government over the alleged illegal recruitment of 312 doctors — including these 32 doctors — in the Punjab civil medical services (PCMS) during the 2008 and 2009 period.
One of the doctors, who is impacted by these promotions, said the department should explain on what grounds these doctors, who were found guilty by the SIT, have been promoted. “This is a classic example of how VIP people are treated above the law. These doctors are close relatives of senior bureaucrats and kin of former judges and are thus misusing the system. A doctor having no complaint against him or her typically struggles to even get a clearance certificate in a year but these doctors have got promotion despite department writing for criminal action against them,” he said.
Despite repeated attempts, Punjab health department director Dr Hitinder Kaur couldn’t be contacted for comments.
