SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 7: The fate of Dr Arun Kumar Barnbal, associate professor, department of surgery, Phulo Jhano Medical College Hospital (PJMCH) Dumka is hanging in balance.
The Jharkhand High Court had on Thursday declared the state government’s notification of his transfer to PJMCH Dumka from Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad wrong.
But even after 48 hours of the HC ruling, neither Phulo Jhano Medical College Hospital (PJMCH) Dumka has relieved him nor Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad has allowed him to rejoin.
On Friday, Dr Arun Kumar Barnbal went to PJMCH Dumka to get relieved from the institution in the wake of the HC ruling but authorities refused to relieve him in the absence of the health department’s order.
PJMCH principal Dr Arun Kumar Choudhary, when contacted on Saturday, admitted that Dr Barnbal had come with a copy of the HC order and sought to relieve him. “ Since I had not received any direction from the health department in this regard, I did not relieve him,” said Dr Choudhary.
SNMMCH Dhanbad principal Dr Jyotiranjan Prasad said that he had of course come to know about the HC order through newspapers but can’t allow him to join the college on newspaper reports until any order comes from the health department.
Notably, the State government on July 31, 2023, transferred Dr Arun Kumar Barnbal, associate professor, surgery department, cum superintendent SNMMCH Dhanbad to PJMCH Dumka surgery department.
As per the notification issued by Virendra Kumar Ram, Under Secretary of the state government, Dr Anil Kumar, associate professor of surgery, was made the new superintendent of SNMMCH.
Dr Barnbal challenged the government notification and impleaded four persons, including health minister Banna Gupta, additional chief secretary (ACS) health Arun Kumar Singh, Under Secretary Virendra Kumar Ram and Dr Anil Kumar SNMMCH superintendent as parties in the case.
A former principal of SNMMCH, requesting anonymity, said that the HC has only declared the notification wrong but not directed the health department to reinstate him. “Moreover, the HC has also not fixed any date for the health department to correct the notification in one week or two weeks. So, it depends on the health department what to do with him,” he added.
