NEIGRIHMS Crisis & Reasons leading to removal of Director Dr DM Thappa

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By Lamphrang Nongspung | SHILLONG | Oct 18, 2019:

Meghalaya Health and Family Welfare Minister, Alexander Laloo Hek today said that the decision to remove NEIGRIHMS director, Dr D.M. Thappa was a collective decision of the Governing Council headed by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan.

"All the members of the Governing Council wanted the removal of the director.  The voice to remove Dr. Thappa in the Governing Council was a unanimous one. None of the members had stood in favour of the director," Hek said here on Friday.

He further said that the director was given an opportunity to present his case in-front of the members of the Governing Council. "The decision was taken after hearing the director," Meghalaya Health and Family Welfare Minister said.

NEIGRIHMS

According to him, it was the Union Minister, who is also the chairman of the Governing Council, who told the director that he should put down his resignation or the Ministry will issue the transfer order.

REASONS FOR SACKING THE DIRECTOR

When asked about the reasons for sacking the director, he said that the director had not convened a meeting either of the administration or the faculties in the past two years.

"We had been following on the performance of the director for the past two years. This is not a recent development. He had not called a single meeting to review the overall functioning of the institute in the past two years. It was due to this reason that he had been asked to table his resignation," Meghalaya Health and Family Welfare Minister said.

The decision to remove the director was taken in the best interest of the institute, said Hek

STAND-OFF BETWEEN DIRECTOR AND CARDIOLOGY DEPARTMENT'S DOCTORS

When asked about the grievances aired by director whereby he had mentioned the head of the Cardiology department, Dr Animesh Mishra, Hek said that he (Dr Mishra) has nothing to do with the Governing Council as he is not a member.

Earlier, the Meghalaya Government had decided to intervene to resolve the present crisis in NEIGRIHMS due to stand-off between the faculty of Cardiology department and the administration. Hek had earlier stated that the Government would not want to see that the patients suffer in view of this stand-off.

NEIGRIHMS director, DM Thappa and Cardio Head, Dr A Mishra

The Director had accused the doctors in NEIGRIHMS of asking patients to purchase medicines from the private pharmacies, denying the people to avail the benefits of the Amrit Pharmacy. When inquired on this allegation, the Health Minister said that this is the internal matter of NEIGRIHMS adding that the State Government does not want to interfere with the day-to-day affairs of the institute.

"The concern of the State Government was to ensure that the people does not suffer due to the internal rumblings in NEIGRIHMS," he said.

DIRECTOR DR DM THAPPA GIVES HIS STATEMENT

The Director of the premier institute, Dr DM Thappa had on Thursday alleged that the 13 th Governing Council meeting on October 14 at Nirman Bhavan, New Delhi was misled by a secretive note by MoH&FW and that he was kept in dark regarding proceedings in the meeting regarding agenda on ratification of his appointment as Director of NEIGRIHMS w.e.f 15 th April, 2017.

"I became a victim of exposee. On record, no previous Director was allowed to work for his full tenure by the same lobby," said Dr Thappa adding that there is some air of false allegations against him as a Director of the Institute.

IS AN INDEPENDENT INQUIRY REQUIRED?

While referring to his statement in the floor of the House where he had stated that Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma will press for an independent inquiry on the overall functioning of NEIGRHIMS, he said that the State Government no longer have a ground to demand for an independent inquiry since the Governing Council had taken the decision to remove the director. "If the Centre had not acted then we would have press for an independent inquiry," Hek said.

Meghalaya Health Minister, AL Hek

Meanwhile, when asked whether or not an inquiry is required in view of accusations made by the Director, Hek said that he would not like to comment on the personal opinion given by an individual. "This is a personal opinion of the director and I will not like to reply," Meghalaya Health and Family Welfare Minister added.

NEIGRIHMS FACULTY ASSOCIATION SLAMS DIRECTOR FOR ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO MALIGN GOVERNING COUNCIL

Meanwhile, the Executive Committee of the NEIGRIHMS Faculty Association has taken strong exception to the statement of Dr. D.M. Thappa wherein he had allegedly attempted to malign the Governing Council, which is the highest body of the Institute. "He has in effect maligned the institute and all that it represents," said a statement issued by the NFA today.

In protest against this attempted act, the EC has resolved to boycott the meeting called by the director on October 18 at 4 pm for interacting with the faculty members while questioning his motive of calling for a meeting now when he had never convened one over the past two years "despite repeated pleas for the same".

"He has not responded to any of the letters sent by the Faculty and has not been sincere in resolving their grievances and calling such a meeting (without revealing the agenda) when the Governing Council has failed to ratify his appointment implies no agenda other than mischief," stated the NFA.