Bihar issues final show cause to 62 absentee doctors in Patna division

PATNA Bihar’s health department has issued final show cause notice to 62 absentee doctors in Patna division, comprising six districts, officials familiar with the development said on Thursday.

Among the 62 doctors put on notice are three who have been absent since August 2016, one from October 2017, two from 2018, six from 2019, 21 from 2020, 19 from 2021 and 10 from last year.

The department has given them 15 days’ time to reply to the show cause notice, failing which the health department will take action against them, said a press release, signed by Sudhir Kumar, joint secretary of the state health department, on Tuesday.

The department had previously issued them two show cause notices, on September 14 and November 4 last year, through press releases published as advertisements in newspapers.

Among those issued show cause notice is Dr Virendra Kumar, medical officer of sadar hospital, Nalanda, who is due to superannuate on attaining 67 years of age this month. Dr Kumar has been absent since February 18, 2018.

At least six doctors in the list are under 30 years of age, with the youngest being Dr Upasana Kumari, 25. She was posted at the headquarters of the health department in Patna, but has been absent since September 7, 2021, said the communique, which listed the names of doctors, their date of birth and period of absenteeism.

The department has prepared a list of over 400 doctors who have been absent for at least six months or more, and has issued them show cause notices.

Bihar’s deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who also holds the health portfolio, had said last October that there were around 700 doctors in the state who were absent for long and were still drawing their salary.

SOURCE:HINDUSTANTIMES