The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) here is yet again in the eye of a storm with its parent department, Department of Science and Technology (DST), ordering an inquiry into a long list of contentions raised by T.P. Senkumar, former State Police Chief and a member on the governing body of the institute, against the manner of its functioning. According to the information received, the DST has instituted a three-member committee, including former Director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Govardhan Mehta, NIMHANS Director and Vice Chancellor B.N. Gangadharan, and former State Vigilance Commissioner and DGP Jacob Thomas.
It will inquire into the contentions raised by Mr. Senkumar in his 1000-plus pages report sent to Union Minister for Health, Science and Technology, Harsh Vardhan.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within a month.
No formal intimation
SCTIMST authorities, while denying receiving any formal intimation from the DST, said it would welcome any inquiry into its functioning and that the institute would present all documents and records before the inquiry committee.
The issues brought up by Mr. Senkumar is just the latest in the long list of grouses raised against the SCTIMST in recent times.
The institute had come under a cloud following its recent decision to extend fully subsidised care to the destitute alone and limit subsidies to BPL at 30%, citing financial difficulties.
Its refusal to join the Ayushman Bharat-Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhati, the State government’s health insurance scheme, even nine months into the scheme citing that the treatment package rates were “unviable”, had also raised a storm, with the matter even reaching Parliament.
This denial of high-end care at the SCTIMST to those who cannot access it elsewhere seems to have figured prominently in the report sent by Mr. Senkumar, who has also raised issues of anomalies in the selection of candidates, appointments, and promotions in the institute.
“I was inducted as a member of the institute’s governing body only nine months ago and I have attended only two GB meetings during this period. I am not a signatory to many decisions taken at these meetings and had refused to sign the minutes of the meeting as I had raised objections on several counts and had insisted that my dissent note be made separately. There are several issues in the manner in which the SCTIMST is being run and while it has some of the best brains in the country working with loyalty and dedication, none of them are happy there,” Mr. Senkumar told The Hindu.
He also pointed out that there was no proper system of complaints redressal at the institute.
The SCTIMST maintained that most of the allegations raised by Mr. Senkumar were against the collective decisions taken by the governing body or institute body and that these had been found to be baseless.
