Room sealed while I was admitted in psychiatry ward, was offline: Dr Haris

Thiruvananthapuram: Dr Haris Chirakkal, head of the urology department at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), said on Saturday that his room was opened and sealed with another lock by MCH principal Dr PK Jabbar while he was undergoing treatment in the psychiatry ward.

“I don’t know if the principal tried to contact me at the time. I was on leave for the past four days and admitted to the psychiatry ward, where doctors specifically instructed me not to use my mobile phone. Only my wife was allowed to accompany me. Even the Health Minister needed special permission to visit,” he said.

Dr Haris added that this was his first long leave in two years, the last being when his father passed away.

He also said he apologised to Health Minister Veena George during her hospital visit after she expressed disappointment over the allegations made in the case. The urology department head stressed that he did not want to blame the minister for the morcelloscope remark. “This is a problem with the system. I do not want to blame the minister or my colleagues for anything,” he said.

The ‘missing’ morcelloscope
Earlier, the Health Minister had said a morcelloscope had gone missing from the Urology Department, citing a report. But on Tuesday, it was found that no equipment was lost, contradicting the minister’s statement.

On Tuesday, Dr Jabbar opened Dr Haris’ office, inspected the equipment, and took photographs and videos. The next morning, a team comprising the principal, superintendent, deputy superintendent, clerical staff, and biomedical department members conducted a second inspection before locking the room with a different lock.

After the inspection, Dr Jabbar said two morcelloscopes had been received from the Urology Department on August 2 in a special package and that the bill for them was available. However, Dr Haris refuted allegations that a missing morcelloscope was found in his room, clarifying that the equipment in question was an old nephroscope sent for repairs.

Company officials later confirmed that Dr Haris had sent three nephroscopes for repair, which could not be fixed. Their service engineer personally returned the equipment to the hospital with the delivery challan inside the package.

The urology department has three nephroscopes, each more than a decade old, used for keyhole surgery. They could still be used if repaired, but replacing them would take at least a year. Dr Haris sent all three to Capsule Global Solutions, Kochi, the original supplier, for repairs. The company quoted ₹2 lakh for each device. Unable to arrange the funds, he asked for them to be returned and kept one in a box in his office. The inspection team, he said, mistook the packing cover addressed to the HoD of Urology for a bill.