The war of words between two senior leaders of the SAD and the BJP continued on Thursday with Punjab Cabinet Minister and BJP leader Anil Joshi claiming that he was well within his rights to order an inquiry against Punjab Medical Council president Dr GS Grewal — the brother of senior Akali leader Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal.
Quoting the provisions, Joshi said that the State Government has all powers under Section 22 of the Act to take action “if it finds that council has exceeded its power or abused or misused the power, can seek explanation from the council and if council does not comply with, can even dissolve the Council”.
At the same time, State Medical Education and Research Minister Joshi made it clear that there was “nothing personal” in the entire issue. “The affairs of the Council must be held in a pure transparent and professional manner and no injustice be done to any doctor practising in a rightful manner,” he said.
Joshi’s reaction came after Mahesh Inder Grewal, Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister and SAD secretary, accused him of “overstepping his jurisdiction” by proceeding against his brother, Dr Grewal, who is Punjab Medical Council president.
Grewal had alleged that Joshi has exceeded his brief by ordering an inquiry into complaints received against his younger brother, who is heading the PMC, which is an autonomous body. He maintained that the state government’s role ended with the appointment of PMC president. SAD leader had also accused the BJP Minister of helping the doctors, who are flouting regulations. The debate broke out after an inquiry by a three-member committee was ordered. The committee is headed by Dr Ashok Gupta, from the ENT department at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, with Dr Baljinder Singh, a professor in PGI’s Nuclear Medicine Department, and an Amritsar-based private practitioner Dr Ujjagar Singh Dhaliwal.
Terming the allegations as “totally false”, Joshi said that the inquiry into the state of affairs of the Punjab Medical Council has been ordered by a three-member committee headed by Dr AK Gupta of the PGI, Chandigarh. “The future course of action will depend on the outcome of the enquiry,” read the official statement from the Minister’s office.
Joshi, justifying the move, stated that there have been complaints against Dr Grewal in regard to his corruption by many doctors of the state, to name a few Dr Sofat and Dr Arora of ludhiana. “Even a complaint had been forwarded by the Union Health Minister to the Medical Education and Research Minister, Punjab, against Dr Grewal some months back…Even 10-11 members of the PMC too have given in writing against the PMC president seeking his removal from the presidentship of the Punjab Medical Council,” he said.
Joshi maintained that the PMC president has been issuing threats, seeking registration of cases against doctors duly registered under their Act, in which PMC has no powers to indulge in such notices.
“PMC president has been issuing notices to the Government doctors for their administrative duties. The president has not been holding meetings and has not been responding to the notices and explanations sought under Section 22 of the Act,” he said.