MINISTER'S PUNCTUALITY DOSE TO DODDASPATHRE DOCS 

It was indeed a surprise visit in true sense. None knew that he was a
Minister when Health and Family Welfare Minister R. Ashok came to the
K.R. Hospital (also known as Doddaspathre) to verify the attendance
register this morning at 8.50 am.

Hospital Staff too did not recognise him. Members of the public
thought him to be one among them.

Dr. Geetha Avadhani, Head, Department of Surgery, came to know that
the Minister was in the hospital when he went to her chamber as she is
in-charge Superintendent today as the Superintendent Dr. B.D.
Satyanarayana is away in Bangalore attending a meeting.

Accompanied by a handful of officers, unlike other Ministers Ashok
took Dr. Avadhani to the Superintendent's chamber to verify the
attendance register. He found that 17 of the 90 doctors had not turned
up even at 9.05 am though they were supposed to sign the register
before 9 am, the scheduled time.

Between 9.05 and 9.15 am five doctors turned up one by one only to be
puzzled at the sight of a Minister in the Superintendent's chamber.
The Minister thundered at them when they tried to sign the register
pretending ignorance about the Minister's presence.

One of the doctors tried to convince the Minister saying that he had
come to the hospital much before 9 am and had gone to his department.
This explanation irked the Minister Ashok who reminded the doctor that
he (Minister) was waiting since 8.50 am.

One of the doctors gave excuses that he was late as he was caught in a
traffic jam, while another tried to defend himself saying the
Superintendent had given them a margin of 5 to 10 minutes !

The Minister asked the Superintendent to issue showcause notices to
all the 17 doctors for not observing punctuality.

Five doctors and Chief Pharmacist Deshpande turned up only after 9.15
am. The doctors included Latha Muthanna, Ravikumar, Dr. Kuddari,
Casualty Medical Officer G. Devan and former Superintendent Mahimanjan
Singh.

Government Order

The Minister read out a Government Order as the doctors stood before
him. The order says doctors should sign the attendance register at 9
am. They can do so even at 9.05 am with the permission of the Head of
the Institution. Those who come after 9.10 am should appear before the
Hospital Secretary or Superintendent to give an explanation. Half-day
salary should be cut in case the doctors turn up 30 minutes late.

Minister Ashok told media persons that he paid a surprise visit
following a number of complaints that doctors at Government Hospital
do not observe punctuality and many of them, after signing the
register, leave the hospital to run their own clinic or to visit
private nursing homes leaving the poor patients in the lurch.

Ashok's surprise visit ended at 11.05 am.