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Punjab: Barnala civil surgeon, clerk suspended for ‘corrupt’ activities
Punjab health officials suspended Barnala's civil surgeon and clerk for confirmed corruption after local doctors reported bribery for official services.
The Punjab health department has suspended the Barnala civil surgeon and his office clerk after an inquiry reportedly confirmed their involvement in “corrupt activities”. Health secretary Kumar Rahul issued the suspension orders against civil surgeon Dr Harinder Sharma and senior assistant Ashwani Kumar after the inquiry officer, Dr Anil Goyal, director of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation, reportedly found them guilty of corruption.
The action has been taken under Section 4(a) of the Punjab Civil Services Rules (Punishment and Appeal), 1970. Barnala district health officer (DHO) Dr Jaspreet Singh has been given the additional charge of the civil surgeon’s office.
As per the suspension order, which the HT has a copy of, suspended Dr Harinder Sharma and Ashwani have already been directed to report to the Chandigarh head office of the Punjab health department.
Confirming the development, Dr Hitinder Kaur, director of the health department, stated that the inquiry report confirmed the corruption charges against both. “Based on the inquiry report, which found the charges true, we have suspended both the officials. A chargesheet will be issued to them in the coming days,” she added. Dr Kaur also mentioned that she would issue instructions to all civil surgeon offices across the state, emphasising that such corrupt practices would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
The health department had to launch the investigation following the allegations of corruption in the Barnala civil surgeon’s office by local doctors, who claimed that they were being coerced into paying bribes to get their official works done.
The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCSMA) had alleged that the Barnala doctors were being charged for their routine processes, such as obtaining no objection certificates (NOCs) for postgraduate (PG) studies, probation clearances, childcare and earned leaves. The association further claimed that a “bribe rate card” had been established, demanding sums ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹8,000 for NOCs, ₹10,000 for probation clearances and ₹6,000 for earned leaves.
The PCMSA has welcomed the prompt response of the government on this issue. “We hope a fair inquiry will bring the matter to a logical end. In the long run, these procedural delays, which often serve as breeding grounds of corruption, can be effectively addressed by an efficient use of iHRMS portal for matters relating to probation/ACP clearances and sanctioning of leaves/NOCs,” said Dr Akhil Sarin, president of the PCMSA.
