SHILLONG: NEIGRIHMS Director DM Thappa, who has been asked to put in his papers by the Governing Council, will move the National Commission for Scheduled Caste seeking justice.
Talking to media persons here on Monday, Thappa also said he was open to a high level inquiry into the whole episode.
Alleging that a few of the Governing Council members had misled the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, he said that he had wanted to clarify his position but was not allowed.
“I don’t want to stick to this chair, there is no question of my staying in a place I was asked to leave,” he said while adding, however, that he wouldn’t want to leave under a cloud. “I have an image of integrity and honesty. Let people prove that my honesty and integrity has been doubtful because of some of my acts. They have to allow me to explain it,” he said.
He informed that in September 2018, the ministry served him a memo listing 13 charges against him and in December he presented his case before the former. Dr BD Atahani, who is a consultant, conducted the inquiry in January and February and he was exonerated of all the charges and the papers were also submitted to the National Commission for Scheduled Caste.
He said that on April 30, vigilance officers had seized devices like stents and pacemakers.
He said that the seized items were to the tune of Rs 30 lakh and there were no valid documents with the private vendor – Sanjo Medical— to bring it into the Cath Lab.
The owner claimed that she has been supplying the items for the last two years
Reacting to allegations that she was assaulted, Thappa questioned as to how she could relate something which happened on April 30, 2019 to an event in Febraury.
“If she was assaulted in February why did she not complain then, but decide to file the complaint after the items were seized. On the day she claimed that she was assaulted I was not in station. I was actually in Delhi,” he said.
He also informed that he has approached the High Court of Meghalaya against the two FIRs and the case is pending before it.
There are some elements in the Governing Council who wanted to protect the person who is a beneficiary, he alleged.
Alleging nexus between Dr Animesh Mishra of the Cardiology department and Sanjo Medical, he added that the husband of the owner of the pharmacy is working in the Radio Diagnosis department as a technician and the day when these items were captured, he was also there to take possession of the items.
“We have already conducted a preliminary inquiry and we have sent the report to the Central Vigilance Commission of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,” he said while adding he acted as a whistleblower. Thappa also added that the doctors of the Cardiology department went on strike after April 30 and did not open the OPD as a result of which patients suffered.
“I had to ask general medicine physicians to take care of the patients and during that period one lady died. From May 3, stents were available in the Amrit Pharmacy but they did not want to utilise those,” he added.
He also questioned as why the government is shying away from a probe.
Reacting to the statement of state Health Minister AL Hek that the allegation of corrupt practices by the head of the Cardiology department is a personal opinion of the Director, Thappa said that it is not his opinion but a truth unearthed by the vigilance section and security of NEIGRIHMS.
“The vigilance section of the institute on April 30 busted a nexus between HoD Cardiology and Sanjo Medical when a consignment of stents and other devices were seized,” he said while informing that an internal inquiry proved that a multi-crore business was going on in NEIGRIHMS for years.
He stated that the inquiry report was forwarded to the Ministry for further probe by some external agency but instead it circulated a secret note in the Governing Council for his removal for unknown charges.
“Every year, we take pledge to act against corrupt practices, but practically, it is proved otherwise in NEIGRIHMS,” he said.
Regarding the statement of Hek that the Director did not meet faculty and administration for two years, he added that he had eight meetings with the faculty and officers apart from day-to-day meetings of faculty and administration.
