Graft in AIIMS: Parl panel deplores Health Ministry’s ‘non-serious’ approach

A Parliamentary panel has strongly deprecated the “non-serious” approach of the Union Health Ministry in tackling a “large” number of corruption cases at the AIIMS here and recommended that the post of a regular Chief Vigilance Officer at the premier institute be restored.

The department-related Parliamentary Committee on Health and Family Welfare has also asked the Ministry to play a “proactive” role in ensuring expeditious investigations into all the corruption cases at AIIMS New Delhi and produce an up-to-date status note within three months.

“The committee is perturbed to note that despite unravelling of corruption cases at AIIMS at regular intervals, the Ministry has done away with the regular Chief Vigilance Officer’s post at AIIMS and the role of the anti-graft officer at AIIMS has been assigned to a Joint secretary and CVO in the Health Ministry.

“Evidently the Ministry appears to be non-serious in the tackling of corruption at AIIMS. The committee therefore strongly deprecates the non-serious approach of the Ministry towards tackling such a large number of cases of corruption at AIIMS and recommends that the Ministry should quickly move towards appointing a regular CVO of unblemished credentials at AIIMS,” the committee, chaired by Satish Chandra Misra, said. The committee also said that it was needless to emphasise that the CVO is the only instrument available with the Ministry to monitor statutory compliance of various prescribed procedures and norms.