The Government on Tuesday was at pains to clarify whether the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Jagdish Prasad has been suspended or not.
Union Health Ministry officials gave conflicting version. The Government had come out with the order of suspending Dr Prasad in the afternoon citing vigilance case against him, only to deny later in the evening that the suspension order has 'not been served' and he (Dr Prasad) has gone on extended leave till April end.
But the officials failed to clarify that why they withheld the order even as the notification regarding Dr Prasad's suspension was issued. Dr Prasad has been heading the DGHS for the last seven years. However he had been on leave since January 18.
In an order issued on Tuesday, the Ministry said that "whereas a disciplinary proceeding for major penalty against Dr Jagdish Prasad is pending and whereas the said regular department action against him is to be conducted without any prejudice or impartiality.
"Now therefore, the President in exercise of the powers conferred by sub rule (1) of the Rule (10) of the Central Civil Services (classification, control and appeal rules, 1965, hereby places Dr Jagdish Prasad DGHS under suspension with immediate effect," the order said.
It further said that the headquarters of Dr Jagdish Prasad would continue to be in Delhi and he shall not leave the headquarters without obtaining the prior permission of the competent authority.
Padmashree awardee Prasad who is facing vigilance case has been on leave since January 18.
Dr B D Athani, who was Special DGHS has been given the charge as the DGHS "with full powers" since then. Dr. Athani had joined the DGHS as a special director in 2015.
Sources said that the Dr Prasad is facing vigilance case for seeking favour from a selection panel for one of his juniors. This is not the first time that Prasad has faced vigilance inquiry. In 2009, he was removed as MS of Safdarjung Hospital and Principal post of its medical college when he was accused of administration related mismanagement.
Dr Prasad had also dragged the Ministry to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) against its order that had stated that professionals under the Central Health Scheme will serve in non-administrative posts between the age of 62 and 65 years.
The office of the DGHS is the technical wing of the health ministry and is responsible for implementing various programmes to control malaria, Japanese encephalitis, tuberculosis, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and cancer, among others.