Vigilance units to be deployed in medical colleges

Thiruvananthapuram: The State is set to deploy vigilance units in all the government medical colleges.

A DySP rank officer will be appointed on a deputation basis in each medical college for the purpose.

Though the Chief Minister put forward the suggestion in 2016, a decision on the initiative got delayed after various departments sought clarifications in the file concerned.

Opinions emerged that there was no need for a vigilance unit and only an Ombudsman was necessary.

Finally, the Health Department revived the file. It conveyed to the Home Department its final decision that a DySP-rank officer should be deployed at each medical college, besides an expert panel from the Health Department.

The Health Department has received many complaints, including doctors allegedly postponing surgeries after not being offered bribes.

It is alleged a doctors' panel holds inquiries into such complaints, but it takes decisions in favour of the medical practitioners. It is to prevent such practices that the vigilance unit is being deployed.

Should get superintendence: Vigilance
The vigilance director should be made in charge of the DySP officer to be deployed in the Health Department, the vigilance has demanded.

There are complaints that the main reason behind inefficient internal vigilance units in most departments is that they are controlled by heads of the respective departments.

The suggestion that control of vigilance units in departments should be entrusted to the vigilance director has been pending before the Home Department for years.