VIRUDHUNAGAR: Citing harassment at the hands of Collector R Kannan, the newly appointed dean of Virudhunagar Medical College Hospital Dr R Suganthy Rajakumari has gone on a medical leave just days after joining duty. Sources said that she received a memo seeking her explanation for her absence in a meeting with the State Health Secretary on May 19. However, the dean refuted the allegations and claimed that the collector was ‘cooking up’ stories.
Dr Suganthy was transferred from Kanyakumari Medical College, where she was working from Novermber 2019 to May 18, 202. She was made in-charge at Virudhunagar medical college the very next day on May 19. Speaking to The New Indian Express, Suganthy said, “I arrived at the hospital and got details regarding the basics. I did not avail a leave also. I inspected the oxygen situation. I went on rounds to know the ground-level situation and reached back to my house at Madurai that evening.
However, as soon as I reached home, I was informed from the hospital that the collector had asked me to meet him. I immediately called him and asked if it was an emergency and stated that I reached home. He said that it was not an emergency and asked me to meet him for courtesy as I joined that day. There was a heavy rain lashing and finding a driver was difficult so I asked him if I could meet him the next morning.”
However, she alleged that the collector insisted on meeting the same day and said that he spoke in a ‘rough’ manner. “I asked my husband if he could drive, but as rains were relentlessly pouring, he offered to explain to the collector and asked permission to meet him the next day but the collector spoke in the same way,” she said and added that she did not go to meet him.
“The next morning, after reviewing the hospital situation, I was getting ready to offer a courtesy visit as I could not meet him the previous day. However, I received a memo from the collector seeking explanation for my absence in a meeting with the health secretary within 48 hours. The memo also had a ‘cooked up’ story about how I refused to meet him to discuss the matter urgently”, she said and added that she was not intimated regarding the meeting.
According to the memo, accessed by The New Indian Express, it has asked for her explanation to not initiate a disciplinary action against her stating the following reasons: she had failed to attend the meeting with the health secretary on May 19 at 3 pm; she refused to meet the collector when he called for an emergency discussion related to the meeting; and one Isaac Mohanlal reportedly contacted the collector that evening and threatened him, which is a violation of Rule 18 of the Tamil Nadu Government Servants Conduct Rules.
Dr Suganthy said, “I did not receive any message about the meeting. I was not informed about such a meeting even during my telephonic conversation with the collector around 5.30 pm when he asked me to meet him. I was not told about any emergency meeting also. I have sent my reply notice on May 20 and availed medical leave. I cannot work in such an environment. I have been handling Covid cases for the past 1.5 years and it has taken a toll on me, similar to other healthcare workers. We do not receive appreciation or respect from the public and if the officials also pressurise me, I cannot handle it”, she said and added that she is considering to apply for a voluntary retirement from service as she was humiliated and harassed by the collector.
Her official advocate Dr Ramaswamy, speaking to Express, said that the notice was issued and no action has been taken till now. “The way the collector handled the issue is unacceptable and the government’s inaction is painful.” In her reply notice, Dr Suganthy has stated that she has been in service for the past 30 years and no complaint has been raised against her.
She has also stated that ‘the collector did not mention any emergency or anything about disaster management’ during his call and that he said to her that she ‘must make a courtesy visit to him the same day itself’. However, the collector refuted the allegations. “Intimation was given to her properly but she did not turn up, so I had sent a memo. She also did not turn up for a meeting with me to talk about it”, he added.