MADURAI: Observing that there is a dearth of medical professionals in the country and government doctors should not be sent on deputation out of India, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court suggested the State government to take a policy decision in this regard.
Justice R Mahadevan passed the order while dismissing a petition filed by one T Alexander Devaraj, on behalf of his wife D Lily Manoharan, challenging the punishment of ‘removal from service’ due to her unauthorised absence from duty in Madurai after she completed her foreign medical service in Kuwait. The judge observed, “When the country is facing a dearth of medical professionals... sending a doctor to foreign service is unjustifiable.”
Hence, government must take appropriate steps as a matter of policy to ensure that none of the doctors from our country is deputed to any other country, stated the judge. With regard to the case in hand, the judge noted that Lily had been granted permission to join foreign medical service in Kuwait in 1992 and the same had been extended till 1996. However, she failed to join duty till 2003 and even after that she took several months of unearned leave till February 2004, a month prior to her retirement, he added.
Moreover, Lily, despite claiming that she had been absent due to cardiac illness, could not produce medical records to prove the same nor did she appear for the enquiry proceedings, the Judge pointed out and dismissed the petition. Earlier, the judge directed the health department to avoid lapses in future in taking action against erring doctors.