SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, June 16: Dhanbad district health department finally got possession of Sadar hospital after 40 years. The government has seized Sadar hospital’s drawing and disbursing power from the superintendent of Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH).
While ending the brewing dispute between the authority of SNMMCH the and district health department, the Jharkhand government has assigned the civil surgeon (CS) with the drawing and disbursing power of the Sadar hospital.
The deputy secretary of the state government has issued a notification in this regard, making Civil Surgeon Dr Shyam Kishore Kant the Drawing and Disbursing authority of the Dhanbad Sadar hospital.
In 1982, the then Bihar government merged the Dhanbad Sadar hospital with Patliputra Medical College Hospital (now SNMMCH) to save the institution from the Medical Council of India’s (MCI) de-recognition as the medical college was lacking the number of beds required for allotment of 50 MBBS seats.
The allotment of Sadar hospital fund was also diverted to the medical college hospital.
On the directive of the Jharkhand High Court when the Sadar hospital reopened in 2019, the district health department claimed a stake in the government fund.
The tussle started after Dr AK Barnwal became the Superintendent of SNMMCH. “He not only began undue interference in Sadar hospital affair but also started dictating the doctors who have been appointed by Deputy Commissioner (DC) under District Mineral Fund Trust (DMFT),” said a senior doctor of Sadar hospital.
The dispute between the SNMMCH superintendent and civil surgeon reached its peak when Dr Barnwal cross-marked the attendance of Sadar hospital staff and demanded a chamber in the office.
The civil surgeon protested the undue interference of the medical college superintendent and complained to the state health department saying that hospital activities have been hampering.
“Dr Arun Choudhary was also medical college superintendent before Dr Barnwal but he never interfered when Sadar hospital revived in 2019. Now when the hospital has begun functioning full-fledged under district health department and even started surgery, Dr Barnwal began exercising his undue power,” commented a doctor of Sadar hospital.
