Senior health official holds charge of 6 depts despite charges of miscon

Srinagar, Mar 06: A senior official of the Health Department is holding charge of six departments despite the anti-graft bodies having recommending action against him.
In July 2017, the State Vigilance Organisation wrote a letter to the General Administration Department to initiate ‘regular departmental action’ against Dr Abdul Kabir Dar, the then-DG ISM and several other officials in the alleged procurement of substandard drugs.
Presently, Dar is holding the charge of Secretary Technical Health and Medical Education Department.
The SVO sought the ‘regular departmental action’ after the ‘joint surprise check’ was conducted on a complaint into the alleged procurement of substandard drugs.
The SVO letter, a copy of which is in possession of The Kashmir Monitor, says that all the medicines, drugs contain “fungus inside the bottled packing which speaks volume about the standard and the quality of the medicines”.
“This type of medicines had been supplied everywhere in Jammu province and the lots of same are available in all the dispensaries of district Kuthua, samba and Ayurvedic hospital Jammu,” the letter reads.
During the course of joint inspection, it says that it was found that out of the 13 randomly selected samples, 06 were found to be “sub-standard”.
“The medicines contain fungal matter as well as other pathogens upto the level of ‘TNTC-Too numerous to count’. Six members of medicines were found containing fungus and pathogens rendering these medicines unfit for human consumption,” it reads.
While on January 22, 2018, the State Vigilance Commission (SVC) wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary that the decision of the SVO to recommend RDA in drug scam in ISM was “inappropriate”.
“The joint surprise check (JSC) was reviewed by the SVC at the instance of Ayush Doctors Association Kashmir. The commission found that JSC had established criminal mis-conduct on the part of Dr Rohit Gupta, who was a member of inspection committee as Rs 95,000 had been transferred from the account of M/S Swastika Drugs Pharma to his bank account. The Commission was of the view that the decision of the Vigilance Organisation in recommending the RDA was inappropriate and instead criminal proceedings were warranted into the matter,” the letter reads.
A month later on February 23, 2018, Dr Dar was given the additional charge of the post of Principal Government Unani College, Ganderbal, Kashmir.
The college is yet to be established.
He is also holding the charge of Managing Director, Marketing and Processing Corporation (J&K HPMC), Incharge Director ISM, Chief Executive Officer, Medicinal Plants Board, and Mission Director Ayush Mission.
Minister for Health and Medical Education, Bali Bhagat said that he will look into the matter.