Despite transfer order, top doctor digs in his heels

He challanged the Mumbai posting also on the same grounds saying the post of director was of `Supertime Administrative Grade’ which was lower to his `Higher Administrative Grade’.

And the transfer had been stayed till it was vacated and his appeal dismissed last month. But he remains in Delhi and refuses to comment on plans. Bansal who claims to be the senior-most person in the ministry is due for retirement in a year. Faculty members say that his constant fault-finding had isolated him. In April this year, consultants in his department sent a representation against him to the Health Ministry alleging misbehaviour, harassment of faculty and bad patient care at the Institute.

The representation alleged Bansal had been continuously harassing the faculty and sending threatening letters. “All our attempts to persuade him to be reasonable,” it said, “have so far failed.” Since Bansal joined the Safdarjung Institute, it went on, he had not taken a single class or performed a single operation. The representation further alleged Bansal of running a large private nursing home in Chandigarh.

In fact, following the representation, the office of the Minister of State (MoS) for Health and Family Welfare in September 1999 expressed surprise as to why no firm action had not been taken against Bansal. The MoS office suggested “in larger public interest” that all clinical functions and duties of the Director of the Institute be assigned to K.S. Rao, Consultant in Orthopaedics (CIO), immediately on account of Bansal’s non-performance of any operation during the last two years.

It was also suggested that compulsory retirement from government service of Bansal as Director, CIO, be initiated on priority basis and the CBI be requested to against the alleged financial irregularities committed by Bansal.