Only days after the shocking suicide of a Rajasthan doctor, which sent shockwaves across the country, another incident has come to the fore, which has invoked a strong response. After being an alleged victim of harassment and high-handed behaviour at the hands of Uttarakhand Health Secretary IAS Pankaj Pandey, an associate professor in Dehradun's government medical college resigned from her post.
Dr Nidhi Uniyal tendered her resignation in protest against the "high-handed behaviour of the secretary (health)." The resignation letter was shared on social media, which had a detailed count of events leading to the doctor's resignation.
Dr Uniyal, in her letter, alleged that she was asked to do a medical check-up of the secretary's wife at the residence, for which she had to compromise her duty at the OPD.
"I was asked to attend ailing wife of Mr Pankaj Pandey, IAS and Secretary Health, Government of Uttarakhand, at her residence. With due regard to the health secretary, I visited his residence with two of my hospital staff, leaving my running OPD and kept waiting number of patients in the hospital."
But things got heated when the IAS officer's wife started yelling at the doctor, reason being the BP monitor was left in the car and had to be retrieved. The doctor couldn't stand the behaviour, so she left.
"I visited the residence with two other colleagues and examined her (secretary's wife). My BP instrument was left in the car. When it arrived, Mr Pandey's wife resorted to usage of unpleasant words demeaning my profession," she wrote.
Doctor resigns, calls for action
Later, the doctor was even asked to tender an apology, to which she refused citing no fault of hers. But things got escalated further, as the doctor was transferred to another medical college at Almora. The doctor called out the high-handed behaviour. In protest of this, Dr Uniyal resigned from her post and demanded action against the officer.
"This is kind of toxic and I am a qualified and trained doctor from India's premier medical colleges. Given this harassment at the behest of Secretary Health, I hereby resign from my post of Associate Professor with a plea that an action must be initiated against the concerned Secretary," wrote Dr Nidhi Uniyal in her letter.
The Health Secretary, however, denied vengeance being the reason for the transfer of the doctor. According to Jagran, Pandey, IAS, said the position had been vacant for some time and the transfer was a "routine administrative affair."
