The Tribune – Health Minister, his deputy spar again, this time over London visit; Mittal, Dr Navjot were earlier at loggerheads over sting operations on doctors

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 5. Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Health) Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu are at loggerheads yet again, this time over participation in an event scheduled to take place in London.

The convention, ‘National Health Service in Emerging India-Transferability and Affordable Healthcare in India’, will be held at the Royal Society of Medicine, London, on February 11.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr Sidhu said she was invited to the event as chief guest and that she had received a formal invitation from the organisers on her e-mail account. She said she had brought the matter to the notice of the Principal Secretary, Health, Vini Mahajan, though she did not have a word with the Health Minister in this regard. Dr Sidhu said later she came to know that the minister himself was participating in the event. She said she had already had a long discussion with the event organisers when they visited India during the recent NRI Sammelan in Punjab.

She said they had held informal deliberations on augmenting health services in Punjab, besides facilitating advanced training to the state’s doctors and nursing staff. On the fate of her visit now, she said she would wait for the state government’s response for a day or two. “If it comes by then I will proceed, otherwise not.”

She said she had tried to approach the Chief Minister directly on the issue, but in vain as he was not keeping well. “I did bring it to the knowledge of the Deputy Chief Minister.”

On the other hand, Mittal said he was unaware whether Dr Sidhu had been invited to the event. However, he made it clear that he was not going in her place. “I am not a thief. I am a gentleman. I have got a separate invitation for the event,” he said.

The minister said Dr Sidhu should either have spoken to him or the BJP’s state president. “She should not flare up the issue by talking about it in the media.”

He said if she had got the invite, she should have gone to the Chief Minister, as it was he who accorded the necessary sanction and not the Principal Secretary, Health.

This is not the first time that the two have locked horns. Earlier, the Health Minister and Dr Sidhu were at daggers drawn after the latter had conducted a couple of sting operations in which she had caught government doctors resorting to private practice while neglecting their official duties.

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The Tribune – Hold MLAs accountable, Navjot pleads with Badal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 10. In a direct communication to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Health) Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu has sought greater accountability for elected representatives, including at the local body and assembly level.

While presenting her monthly report on a project, ‘Vibrant Amritsar’, to mediapersons, she said the government should make it mandatory for all elected representatives to submit a monthly report of works done in their respective wards (for councilors) and constituencies (in case of MLAs).

“Everyone should be made accountable for the job they get paid for,” she said.

While giving details about the ‘Healthcare at doorstep’ project, Dr Navjot said 35,000 residents were covered under door-to-door survey in Verka, Vallah and Rasulpur Kallar areas of Amritsar. The month-long camp also saw installation of 1,300 streetlights (at a cost of Rs 35 lakh) and an expenditure of Rs 2.5 crore on roads, Rs 1.5 crore on street flooring, Rs 70 lakh on sewerage system and Rs 40 lakh on water-related works.

The Chief Parliamentary Secretary also asked the government to declare Amritsar as a dry city so that drug and liquor menace could be checked.

She said there was no coordination between various departments at ground level, which was to blame for delay in various projects.

Citing an example, she said in case an encroachment was to be removed, they had to seek separate directions from the sanitation, roads and forest wings of the Municipal Corporation. “The story is no different for other official works,” she said.

Dr Navjot also pointed out that there was no government control over chemist shops in the state. “Unqualified staff is openly distributing wrong medicines…. I have demanded that all doctors should be given the powers to check chemist shops.

Another shocking fact that has come to light is the unholy nexus prevailing between the police, doctors, paramedics and even politicians in making fake settlements in medico legal cases. We will soon provide details to expose the illegal practice,” she said.

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The Tribune – Navjot Kaur Sidhu protests against ‘poor’ law and order

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 21. While the state government faced the heat from the Opposition on the floor of the House over law and order, the issue today evoked a strong reaction from one of its own members with Chief Parliamentary Secretary Navjot Kaur Sidhu staging a protest outside the venue of the ongoing All-India Conference of Commissioners of Police here.

She reached outside the conference venue at 4.30 pm. She said there was an urgent need to address the law and order situation in Amritsar and sought the deployment of women police personnel to curb eve-teasing. She also demanded that a helpline be launched to check crime against women and that such cases should be tried by fast-track courts.

She lodged strong protest against an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) who, she alleged, had been using abusive language against women and pressuring people to withdraw cases after taking money from the opposite party.She demanded that an inquiry be initiated against him and he be transferred out of the city. Quoting several cases, she alleged that the police had been working in an autocratic manner. She wanted to submit a memorandum to the Commissioner of Police, who was busy at the conference. She raised slogans against the Police Department and sought justice for women.

The protesters were pacified after Police Commissioner Ram Singh came outside along and accepted the memorandum.

The first All-India conference of Police Commissioners was jointly inaugurated by state Director-General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini and KN Sharma, DGP, Bureau of Police Research and Development, along with the DGP of Andhra Pradesh, V Dinesh Reddy. Sharma said to ensure the safety and liberty of citizens, “we need to do away with the archaic policing system and develop a people-friendly immediate response system.”

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The Tribune – Spat between Badal, Dikshit escalates; Punjab CM says Cong playing a dangerous game

Tribune News Service

Anandpur Sahib, November 17. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today reiterated his claim that the Delhi Government was to blame for the recent clash at Gurdwara Rakabganj in the national capital.

Badal also cautioned that any alleged interference in the affairs of the Sikh community could vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the state as well as the country.

It was on Thursday that several persons were injured in clash between the supporters of the Delhi unit of Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and the Akali Dal (Delhi). SAD leaders Daljeet Singh Cheema and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar had then blamed the Congress and the Union Government for the violence.

The Chief Minister, who was here to inaugurate the annual athletics meet of Sri Dashmesh Academy, alleged that the Delhi Government was hand in glove with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Paramjeet Singh Sarna.

“They are hell bent upon holding direct elections to the post of DSGMC president despite the fact that there is no such provision in place for other constitutional posts, including President, Prime Minister or a Chief Minister. This is being done with the sole motive to help the ruling Congress recapture power in the next Assembly elections,” he said.

About the verbal spat between Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Health) Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu over recent sting operations to nab government doctors indulging in private practice, the Chief Minister said both of them had amicably resolved the issue.

Ramoowalia too joins fight

In New Delhi, SAD leader Balwant Singh Ramoowalia appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stop Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit from “intervening” in the religious affairs of the Sikh community. He also appealed to the Prime Minister to hold DSGMC elections before December 31 and withdraw cases registered against members of the Delhi SAD (Badal) unit.

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The Tribune – Mittal asks police not to cooperate with Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu

Jangveer Singh, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 15. The public spat between state Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and his BJP colleague and Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Health) Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu is set to worsen with Mittal making it clear that her post was administrative in nature and that she did not enjoy any powers under the Constitution.

Mittal told The Tribune that said the Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) was only there to assist him and that Dr Navjot should bring problems, if any, to his notice. The minister said all public functionaries derived their powers from the Constitution. “If you work within your powers, there is no clash.”

Asserting that he would not allow anyone to terrorise doctors in the state, he said he had asked the police not to participate in any such raids and seizures in future. He said the CPS should quit acting like a “thanedar”. The minister said: “I want a free atmosphere for doctors working in hospitals. They are highly educated persons. We should behave with them in a civilized way. ” He was apparently referring to the recent sting operation conducted by Dr Navjot in Ropar.

Mittal said he had been told that the CPS had indulged in high-handedness during the alleged sting operation against Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Surjit Singh which was the culmination of a three-day “chor-sipahi” game. He said as the doctor set out of his house, located above a private clinic run by his daughter, he saw a person writhing in pain. As he bent down to attend the patient, “he was held from the shoulder, restrained in a room and even placed in police confinement.”

The ties between the two BJP colleagues are set to sour further with Mittal saying he could not share his files with Navjot as the post of the CPS was not a Constitutional one. “I have taken the oath of secrecy and cannot share my files with anybody except with those whose participation is required,” he said.

Indicating that Dr Navjot was trying to build her image by claiming that she had quit the medical profession for public service, he remarked: “I too was a lawyer and quit practice to serve the people.” Though the minister claimed the issue had not been raised at the party forum, sources said the issue would be adjudicated by party leaders.

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The Tribune – Mittal, Navjot Kaur at loggerheads over sting operations

Arun Sharma, Tribune News Service

Ropar, November 12. Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Health, Dr Najot Kaur Sidhu are at loggerheads over carrying out of sting operations by the latter to nab government doctors involved in private practice.

While Mittal termed the move unwarranted and unauthorised, Navjot said doctors who ran their own clinics during duty hours and drew lakhs of rupees as salary from state exchequer could not be spared.

Speaking to mediapersons at his residence here, Mittal said it was not the job of politicians to conduct sting operations. The politicians interested in such things should join the detective services, he said.

Such actions on part of politicians would only hit the honour of doctors and their freedom of service, he said.

“Whatever happened in Ropar was unfortunate. And what had happened at Mohali was the worst as the doctor was arrested. I cannot approve of it,” Mittal said.

When asked what mechanism he provided to keep a check on such doctors, the Health Minister said: “An inquiry is conducted into such complaints and doctors are punished accordingly”.

On the other hand, Navjot said the Ropar incident was not a sting operation. “After receiving complaints, I visited the hospital and exposed the doctor before the public. I cannot understand why others are bent upon protecting such doctors,” she said.

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