THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A fresh attempt to undermine Dr Haris Chirackal’s credibility has emerged, with medical college authorities levelling new allegations based on questionable inspections of the urology department head’s office while he was on leave.
Thiruvananthapuram Medical College principal Dr P K Jabbar claimed to have uncovered a new purchase bill for equipment that had previously been reported missing from the urology department. The principal suggested that the equipment had been purchased recently after a probe committee had identified it as missing.
Dr Haris countered these findings, clarifying that the newly discovered box contained two nephroscopes, not the moscilliscope flagged by the committee. A Kochi-based medical devices company had been consulted for repairs two months ago.
The service engineer returned the equipment, as it was too costly to repair, along with a delivery challan dated August 2. According to Dr Haris, the principal mistakenly identified this delivery challan as a ‘bill’. The situation was further complicated by the fact that the company’s engineer had incorrectly labelled the returned nephroscopes as a “moscilliscope” on the challan.
Dr Haris emphasised that the moscilliscope was never lost and expressed concerns about his office being locked with a different lock during his absence. “I was called by someone in a top position in the department to settle the issue and make compromises. But the press meet came soon after that,” Dr Haris said. The moscilliscope is used for prostate surgery, while a nephroscope is used for treating kidney stones and detecting tumours.
The press meet was held on Friday even as Dr Haris has raised concerns about attempts to frame him. Both Dr Jabbar and superintendent Dr Sunil Kumar, who briefed the media, appeared to be receiving instructions from higher authorities over the phone, giving the impression that the entire situation was orchestrated. Dr Kumar openly acknowledged the pressure he faced amid the controversy.