– On Minister’s direction, Principal GMC breaks lock
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Acting on specific instructions from the Health Minister Bali Bhagat, the Principal, Government Medical College Jammu on Thursday got locks of a room allotted to a senior doctor in Super Specialty Hospital broken only to find the new endoscopy machine, which had earlier been reported missing.
Sources told STATE TIMES that Dr Shoket Choudhry, Assistant Professor in Gastroenterology SSH had made the endoscopy machine, procured at a cost of Rs 90 lakhs, non-functional just to force the patients to go for diagnostic tests in private labs.
On being brought to his notice, the new Health Minister asked the Principal GMC Dr Zahid Geelani to have the machine shifted to Medical College immediately. However, it was not found anywhere till some insider informed the higher ups that the endoscopy machine had been kept hidden in a room under lock and key by Dr Choudhry.
The Principal immediately got the lock broken and the machine was found gathering dust. Ironically, this new machine was purchased by Principal GMC reportedly to favour Dr Choudhry.
Last year, the GMC Principal had diverted the funds meant for cancer department to procure the endoscopy machine, which however was rendered non-functional in a sinister bid of referring the patients to private labs.
However, the then Health Minister Lal Singh had exposed the nexus and got the machine functional in the hospital.
The old machine was shifted to GMC and it was found in working condition. Dr Vijyant Chandel was asked to perform the endoscopy as Department of Gastroenterology was functional in GMC Jammu. The same machine is still functional at GMC Jammu.
Meanwhile, Principal Zahid Gillani ignored the rules and purchased another endoscopy machine for installation at SSH out of the funds earmarked for the Oncology Department The Finance Wing staff posted at GMC confirmed that all the codal formations were bypassed to purchase this machinery.
Now that the new Health Minister had directed for shifting of the new machine to GMC as the old endoscopy machine was not working properly, Dr Choudhry in order to dodge the minister and GMC administration, locked the machine in a room at SSH.
“I asked the Principal to recover the new machine and install it at GMC as many patients were forced to go to private clinics,” said Health Minister Bali Bhagat.
“An inquiry is being conducted and we will take action against Dr Shoket Choudhary and Principal Dr Zahid Gillani,” the minister asserted.
