Health ministry flouts govt norms to appoint RIMS director in-charge

After hitting the headlines over sacking of AIIMS chief vigilance officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, the union health ministry led by Harsh Vardhan is again in the dock. This time the union ministry is under the scanner for flouting rules in appointing Arunkumar as direcrtor in-charge of AIIMS-like Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal. The Modi government had on 25 August relieved the controversy-mired director of the RIMS, S Sekharjit from his duties and assigned the charge to a professor of the institute.

The way prof Arunkumar was made the director in-charge is against the directives of central government. The ministry’s directive dated 24 February, 2012, says that a teacher who has crossed 62 years of age cannot be entrusted with any administrative post. Recently, several heads of departments had been removed. Arunkumar who was the medical superintendent in-charge was relieved of his post since he had crossed 62 years. The protesting teachers, employees and students are questioning how he was made the director in-charge.

Though, employees of the region’s premier health institute have hailed the move of the health 

ministry of sacking tainted director, but at the same they have raised questions over the appointment of Arunkumar as director in-charge despite the fact that Kumar has crossed the age limit.

There are about 10 allegations of wrongdoings, including fund misappropriation and corruption against sacked director Sekharjit, who is facing CBI probe in one case. The union ministry of health and social welfare (northeast section) on 25 August issued an order signed by Ishwar Singh, deputy secretary of the ministry, relieving Sekharjit from his duties with ‘immediate effect’. The official order is in possession with Millennium Post.

Sekharjit, who was the head of the urology department, took charge as RIMS director in September 2010. He was supposed to retire in September 2015.

Meanwhile, a single bench of Manipur High Court on Friday rejected Sekharjit’s plea seeking a stay order of his removal as RIMS director.