Prof Ashwini Pujahari Resigns As VIMSAR Director

Sambalpur: Director of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) Prof Ashwini Pujahari resigned from his post on Friday, having allegedly felt humiliated by the unresponsive attitude of the Odisha government.

Pujahari was asked to go on leave after VIMSAR Junior Doctors’ Association took strong exception to the treatment method and staged protests demanding his removal.

“I had no option other than resigning from my post. I am a hard working person and work 12-14 hours every day. Never in my service career had I gone on a long leave. Though I had replied to the show-cause notice of the government and requested it twice to take an early decision, there has been no acknowledgement till date. Under such circumstances, I felt that it was of no use for me to remain on leave and decided to quit my job. I have sent my resignation letter to Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal,” Pujahari told mediapersons here.

Prior to his joining VIMSAR as the director, he alleged that there was a gross dereliction of duty by the doctors and professors did not take class regularly. “The doctors took bribe from the patients,” he further alleged.

Asked whether he is planning to join the politics, Pujahari said he has not thought over it at the moment. “I will take a decision in this regard later, he pointed out.

Notably, the Odisha government had served a show-cause notice to Pujahari on December 7 and asked him to go on leave.

In the show-cause notice, served by the commissioner-cum-secretary, Health and Family Welfare Pramod Meherda, Pujahari was asked to go on leave till he replies to it and the matter is decided.

Apart from being asked to reply to the show-cause in three days, Pujahari has also been asked to submit the probe reports against him.

The VIMSAR Junior Doctors’ Association had opposed Pujahari using table salt and tabla therapies on patients and videos of the same were also uploaded on the social media.

Following the demands of the JDA, he had withdrawn from the surgical practices as the in-charge of Unit-I of the department.

Protesting against the action of the state government on Pujahari, the Burla the Sachetana Nagarika Manch had observed a 12-hour bandh call on December 10.

After sending Pujahari on compulsory leave, the state government had appointed Prof Prakash Mahapatra as the in-charge director of VIMSAR.