Doctor dismissed over facebook posts criticising health system
Doctor had raised concerns over medicine shortage and facilities
Janjgir | Desk: Dr. Lokendra Kashyap, a contractual medical specialist posted at the Janjgir-Champa District Hospital in Chhattisgarh, has been dismissed from government service. This action was taken pursuant to an order issued by the Commissioner and Mission Director of the National Health Mission (NHM), Chhattisgarh.
The dismissed physician is the son of local MLA Byas Kashyap. He is accused of making comments critical of government policies and schemes via the social media platform, Facebook.
According to departmental sources, Dr. Lokendra Kashyap had shared several posts on his Facebook account addressing sensitive issues, such as the implementation of the Ayushman Scheme, the shortage of essential medicines in government hospitals, and the lack of basic amenities.
The Health Department deemed these activities to be contrary to regulations and characterized such conduct as detrimental to the government's image. In connection with this matter, a show-cause notice was issued by the Chief Medical and Health Officer on May 5, seeking an explanation.
The administration found the explanation submitted to the department, as well as the response presented before the state office, to be unsatisfactory. The official order explicitly states that such public conduct while in government service constitutes a direct violation of the provisions of the Chhattisgarh Civil Services Rules, 1965, and the Human Resource Policy, 2018.
On the other hand, reacting to this action, MLA Byas Kashyap wrote on social media that it is the duty of a physician to draw attention to the public interest and the hardships faced by patients. He further highlighted that a doctor who had recently been honored for his exemplary work was dismissed from service for raising concerns regarding the scarcity of resources.
