What began as a bribery case involving a contractual medical officer in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district has uncovered a far bigger irregularity, with the doctor allegedly found to be simultaneously posted in three districts located hundreds of kilometres apart.
Dr Mahesh Chand Sharma, a contractual medical officer posted at the Oofri Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Shahdol, was allegedly caught accepting a bribe by the Rewa unit of the Lokayukta Special Police Establishment (SPE) on July 3.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Sharma was also posted at the Keli PHC in Khargone district and the Sahsaram PHC in Sheopur district, raising serious questions about the functioning of the state's health administration.
According to sources, Sharma was posted in Shahdol from February 2024. However, he had already been serving at the Keli PHC in Khargone since February 2023 and at the Sahsaram PHC in Sheopur since 2021. The three districts are located in different parts of the state, with Shahdol around 800 km from both Khargone and Sheopur.
Sources also claimed Sharma is a close relative of a senior IAS officer currently posted at the state secretariat in Bhopal.
Confirming the development, Shahdol Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Rajesh Mishra said Sharma had remained absent from duty at the Oofri PHC for a prolonged period, leading to the withholding of four months' remuneration.
Mishra said he has written to the CMHOs of Khargone and Sheopur seeking documents related to Sharma's contractual appointments, attendance records and performance at the two PHCs.
According to administrative sources in Shahdol, a case of cheating and fraud may also be registered against Sharma in the coming days.
Staff members at the Oofri PHC, including an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM), a support nurse and a male medical dresser, reportedly told officials that Sharma visited the health centre only three or four times a month and remained absent for the rest of the time.
Health department officials in Khargone also confirmed that Sharma frequently stayed away from duty for long periods without prior intimation.
In Sheopur, officials said they asked Sharma to report after news of the bribery case surfaced on July 4. However, his phone has remained largely switched off since then, following which his remuneration for June was withheld.
Departmental inquiries have now been initiated against Sharma in all three districts — Shahdol, Khargone and Sheopur.