Chandigarh: Punjab health minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra has come under fire from several quarters after he was seen forcing vice-chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Dr Raj Bahadur to lie on a dirty mattress at a hospital. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Dr Bahadur said he felt humiliated and had requested the CM to relieve him from services as the work environment was not conducive. Edited excerpts.
Q: What has actually transpired that led the minister asking you to lie on the bed?
The minister was on the campus for the routine inspection. When he raised the issue of dirty beds in the dermatology ward, I admitted some shortcomings. I repeatedly told him that I was not responsible for the purchase and it has to be done by the medical superintendent and I can only sanction the budget. But he wanted me to lie on the bed, may be with a motive to publicly humiliate me. If the minister would have asked me to tender a resignation in plain words, I would have done so. Otherwise, too, my term is going to expire next year.
Q: Why he wanted to humiliate you? Do you have any old issues with him?
Not at all. May be, he was given a wrong feedback about me. When I greeted him at the entry gate, he named me publicly and asked photographers to click pictures so that I should not feel that he was upset. It immediately hit my mind that the minister has landed on the campus with some plan. When he asked me to lie on the bed, a thought came to my mind that why I should lie on the bed in front of the camera. But followed his orders as I have remained humble throughout my life and have no inflated ego.
{{/usCountry}}Not at all. May be, he was given a wrong feedback about me. When I greeted him at the entry gate, he named me publicly and asked photographers to click pictures so that I should not feel that he was upset. It immediately hit my mind that the minister has landed on the campus with some plan. When he asked me to lie on the bed, a thought came to my mind that why I should lie on the bed in front of the camera. But followed his orders as I have remained humble throughout my life and have no inflated ego.
{{/usCountry}}Q. What will be your next move now?
I conveyed my feelings in detail to the chief minister. He called me up and has invited me to meet him personally in couple of days. The CM also said he wants my services in some of his dream projects. My only submission to him will be to allow me seeing patients at this Regional Spinal Injury Centre where I have been treating the poor free of cost. I have donated my whole life to treat patients. I want to die while doing the same. I could have also joined private hospitals to earn crores of rupees for surgeries. But money has never satisfied me the way I feel when I meet people in this place.
Q. Do you want the minister to tender an apology?
Not at all. I haven’t been like this in my life. He is our minister. My only regret is that he should not have done like this. I am not saying there were no shortcomings in the system. But we all must know that in the government, we have a system that even if we have to procure a pen, it takes at least nine months.
Q. Are you going to withdraw the resignation if the CM insists?
I cannot say anything as I am very upset and feeling humiliated. I never expected this sort of behaviour from a person who is a minister. Do I deserve this treatment? I am not saying I am perfect. Nobody can be. You make wrong decisions when you are an administrator. But the way I was mistreated has hurt me.