Govt to probe foreign tours of PGIMS Rohtak doctors

Inquiry ordered amid charges that some doctors took favours in form of air tickets from pvt firms in lieu of prescribing expensive drugs to patients

ROHTAK : The Haryana government has sought records of foreign tours of all doctors working at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, in view of the recent allegations that some of them took favours in the form of air tickets from private pharma companies in lieu of prescribing their expensive medicines to patients.

In a communique to PGIMS on Friday, the government asked head of all departments at the hospital to provide details of all foreign trips undertaken by all doctors in the past six years. The communique sought details of only those foreign tours which were undertaken by doctors at their own expenses, excluding official tours sponsored by the government.

If the government is serious about investigating into this matter, it should probe all foreign tours and not just those undertaken during the past six years

A PGIMS ROHTAK DOCTOR

It asked for these details to be provided to the government by October 30.

The government’s order comes amid the recent controversy of the suspension of former PGIMS director Dr Nitya Nand in the wake of reports that he got return air tickets to Vancouver, Canada, from a pharma giant for prescribing its medicines to his patients.

After suspending Dr Nitya Nand on October 9, the government had on Thursday revoked his suspension and reinstated him as a senior professor and head of department of medicine. Justifying the move, Haryana health minister Anil Vij said the suspension was revoked because Dr Nitya Nand was set to retire on October 31.

“The orders of his reinstatement have been issued, but the inquiry against him will go on as usual and action could be taken against him post his retirement,” Vij said.

However, officials in the health department accused the government of covering up a larger scam by reinstating Dr Nitya Nand, as people close to the suspended doctor had accused many other doctors of the hospital following the similar modus operandi of flying overseas on tickets sponsored by pharma companies.

Taking view of such allegations, the government has now sought details of foreign tours of all doctors at the hospital.

However, even now, some doctors at the hospital have raised questions on the government for only seeking records between 2012 and 2018, and not from the times before.

“If the government is serious about investigating into this matter, it should probe all foreign tours and not just those undertaken during the past six years. This step hints at selective action,” said a doctor at the hospital, requesting anonymity.

Recently, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda called the BJP a “pick-andchoose government” for suspending only Dr Nitya Nand and not taking action against other doctors against whom similar allegations were made.