SKIMS: Under a graveyard of accusations

As a faculty member, Dr Showkat Ali Zargar attained the age of superannuation on 31st May 2014, but he continues to be Director of the hospital, in violation of the government order No. 12 SKIMS of 2010 of May 14, 2010, sources said.

“The order explicitly specifies the appointment of the candidate shall be made on tenure basis up to a maximum of five years or till the appointee attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier,” sources said.

Interestingly, Dr Zargar’s appointment, vide government order No. 645-GAD of 2011, doesn’t make any mention about the advertisement notice No. 2 of 2010.

There is no recommendation of any screening committee or selection committee; neither does it mention any tenure as was the protocol when full-time directors were earlier appointed. There is no mention of any approval of governing body in the order of appointment.

Sources said Dr Zargar remained allegedly absent from duty from 1992 and was removed from the rolls of SKIMS vide order No. SKIMS/Per/543/93-8864-76 dated 8th Dec 1993 subsequent to the approval of the Governor of JK (Then Chairman governing body SKIMS) vide No. 2263 dated 24-11-1993.

“During this period, he remained in Gulf to earn money as Kashmir was witnessing a spurt in armed conflict. And once he saw things improving and his cousin taking over as Director SKIMS he showed his desire to join back,” they alleged.

“In order to accommodate him, the SKIMS authorities misled the governing body by projecting request to accommodate doctors terminated from services and working overseas with the plea of boosting faculty and helping the institute’s postgraduate programme,” they alleged, adding “the same governing body was pursuing removal of famous gastroenterologist, Prof M S Khuroo.”

“Though the SKIMS administration pleaded rejoining of doctors  for SKIMS interests, but main aim was to re-appoint Dr Showkat Zargar as Associate Professor illegally without an available post and without proper advertisement and without an apical selection committee in contravention to the recommendations of the special committee and rules governing appointment of SKIMS faulty,” the faculty alleged, adding that many noted doctors including Prof  G H Malik and Prof Ismail Qadri and others were deprived of reappointment despite deficiency and effect on patient care in those departments.

The present Director, according to a senior faculty member, is among very few to have eaten the cake and saved his hands too. “He managed to be away during turmoil to earn money and made a fraudulent re-entry into the once-prestigious SKIMS without having any available post at that time and being warned to desist from private practice vide letter dated 05-05-2010, a violator of SKIMS rules and offender of criminal law amendment Act 2002,” the senior faculty, who has served with Dr Zargar, alleged.

“The SKIMS’ governing body has perhaps been given to understand that Zargar can enjoy the liberty of retiring on two different dates as the same body of which Dr Showkat’s cousin is a member,” a professor at SKIMS said.

“Since the period of tenure as director has not been specified at the time of appointing him for the post, he cannot be given any extension in his services as per state cabinet decision No. 116/12-2013 (April 24, 2013), which has imposed blanket ban on re-employment/extension,” he said.

According to official documents, copies of which are in our possession , the governing body meeting was held on 28th June 1997 and the case of reemployment of the terminated faculty and doctors was considered. Immediately, a committee was constituted to review such cases on individual basis and give their recommendations.

Accordingly, consequent upon approval of the said decision of the governing body by the J&K cabinet vide their decision No. 238/24 dated 18/10/1997, a committee was formally constituted vide order No. 26 IMS of 1997 dated 18/11/1997 with terms of reference that the committee shall examine the cases for fresh appointment of those terminated faculty members of the institute who are desirous to re-join against the posts on which their services were terminated.

Quoting a note from policy section bearing No. 1310181-1806, sources said the committee was tasked to examine such cases individually, strictly on ‘need basis’ and subject to the availability of the post and give their recommendations in each case for consideration of the competent authority.

“The note sheet clearly says that there was no vacant post available at that time. He was appointed after an Apical Selection Committee was held without any advertisement, depriving the best available faculty within the country to apply and to get selected,” sources said.

“This is the only apical selection committee in the entire country and state that has been conducted without seeking any application through an open advertisement clearly showing clandestine designs of the SKIMS administration to accommodate him,” they said.

“In order to camouflage, they called three internal candidates for interview without advertisement. He was selected. Not only this, a favor was extended to him by extending his date of joining as he had not finished his contract in the Gulf, a gross violation of SKIMS and MCI Norms (copy of order dated Dec 22,1998),” sources alleged.

“The favoritism accorded to him did not end here but he was facilitated to challenge the termination order signed by the then chairman governing body, the then Governor, as the SKIMS administration helped him to do away with pages 136 to 147 from his personal file showing details of unauthorized absence and relevant proceedings which had come to the logical conclusion in the form of termination,” some of Dr Zargar’s disgruntled colleagues alleged.

“It is astonishing that despite authorities mentioning the approval of the governor of J&K (chairman governing body, SKIMS vide their letter No. 2263 dated 24-11-1993), he made non-availability of the approval as the basis of his case,” said a senior faculty at department of urology, SKIMS, wishing not to be named.

“How could SKIMS authorities mention this without existence of that approval?” the faculty member asked.

Sources in the director’s office said that Dr Zargar got promoted to Professor vide order No. 45-SKIMS of 2005 dated 17-10-2005.

They alleged he managed to fix his seniority himself without approval of the competent authority, vide order No. SIMS/Per/4144/2012-4233-88 dated 11-05-2012 subsequent to his own representation dated 6-4-2012 at the time when he was holding position of director SKIMS.

Dr Zargar is also alleged to have overridden from Serial No. 19 to 7 in the seniority list of additional professors of 2005 (copy of the order date 11-05-2012).

“Hundreds of complaints against the director regarding corruption, mismanagement and nepotism failed to influence the higher authorities to take timely action to save SKIMS,” the faculty members said.

“The sad state of affairs is obvious from the fact that a private secretary (recently promoted as administrative officer) without any academic experience is looking after the university’s academic activities in the capacity of incharge controller.”

Another SKIMS professor revealed that even the central funds (grant in aid) for establishing the Geriatric Centre have been ‘misappropriated’ and confined to recruitment of some employees through backdoor channels, without creation of posts, and hence a liability to the state exchequer.

Officials said the prestigious medical institute has seen a fast decline not only in patient-care but in academics and research activities too.

A premier government employee’s body in the region had demanded removal of Dr Zargar for his alleged mismanagement and mishandling of the institute administration.

President of Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) Abdul Qayoom Wani said the reports about SKIMS mismanagement have shocked the people in the region.

“Besides mismanagement, the director has hiked the fee for poor patients; basic medicine is not available to the patients and for the director patients are not important but officials from the secretariat are dear to him,” Wani said.

The employees have appealed the chief minister to intervene personally to save the institute from further mess.

“The director should be replaced with an able and intelligent person so that the people of the state are not deprived of a vital healthcare institute,” Wani said in a statement issued here earlier.

‘CM’S ORDER’

Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed has ordered termination of all those employees granted re-employment by various government departments.

The employees will be terminated with immediate effect, an official handout said.

The order, quoting the chief minister, said engagements, arrangements made by the different departments/Public Sector Undertakings/ Boards/ Autonomous Bodies under any scheme against any sanctioned post without any selection procedure, even on contractual basis, shall also cease to exist with immediate effect.

“The chief minister issued these directions to restore the credibility of the administration so that it works in a fair and transparent manner,” the handout added.

“Any other engagements/arrangements made by the Departments, PSUs/ Boards/ Autonomous Bodies at their own level shall also be governed by the above instructions of the government.”

PROBE SKIMS’ SHODDY DEALS: PDP LEADER

Alleging that SKIMS authorities are rubbing salt into people’s wounds, Peoples Democratic Party leader Abid Ansari said they are “reluctant” to spend a single penny for hospital’s welfare out of the huge revenue generated from patients.

Ansari said the hospital has a daily income of INR three to 3.5 lakh collected from patients across Kashmir. The revenue is collected in the form of admission tickets, fee for routine test reports, ECG, X ray and other related medical examinations.

He added that every month, apart from the government funds, the SKIMS collects a revenue of INR one crore (10 million) collected from poor patients which are admitted to hospital in view of various ailments.

“Every year, the revenue turns out to be a whopping amount of INR 12 crore (120 million). Out of this huge amount, not a single percent is spent on people or hospital’s welfare. There has been so far no serious audit done to make the hospital authorities accountable over such a burning issue,” he said.

Ansari, who is also Member of Legislative Assembly for Zadibal constituency, said so far the expenditure made out of these revenues has not been made public.

The PDP politician maintained that so far the SKIMS authorities have spent the money on seminars while leaving the maintenance of the hospital in lurch.

“One could ask the hospital authorities that how could INR 12 crore (120 million) be alone spent on seminars in which the lavish services are provided to doctors who read out their papers before other medicos.”

Ansari alleged that shabby condition of wards in the hospital and pathetic treatment given to patients in the causality block are enough evidence to prick the government’s balloon of false claims.

While demanding a thorough probe into the alleged embezzlements, he said the government has to take early action so that some relief is provided to people.