A complaint submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and subsequently referred to the Union Health Ministry against the Medical Superintendent (MS) of ABVIMS and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital has triggered an inquiry process, even as questions are being raised over the manner in which the matter is being examined.
The complaint seeks scrutiny of the Medical Superintendent’s qualifications, service records and certain administrative decisions taken during his tenure.
Documents accessed by The Tribune show that the matter was taken cognisance of and later forwarded through official channels for examination.
Subsequently, the hospital administration wrote to the complainant seeking documentary evidence and supporting material in relation to the allegations raised in the complaint.
However, the complainant has objected to the process, arguing that allegations concerning the hospital’s top administrative officer should be examined independently by the Health Ministry, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), or another competent authority rather than through the same institutional framework headed by the officer concerned.
The objection has brought the focus beyond the allegations themselves to the manner in which the inquiry is being handled. The complainant has contended that allowing the matter to be processed within the same administrative establishment raises concerns over the perception of impartiality and fairness.
According to documents reviewed by The Tribune, the complainant has requested that the inquiry be conducted independently and that relevant records be examined by authorities outside the hospital administration. The inquiry process is understood to be ongoing.
No findings have been recorded in the matter so far.
The case has now raised broader questions about the mechanism for examining complaints against senior administrators of major government-run medical institutions and whether such matters require scrutiny by authorities independent of the institution concerned.
