In a revealing account of bureaucratic inefficiencies, a DMK-supporting Dravidian Stock medical professional has expressed significant distress over the administrative hurdles faced by him in getting his salary after being relieved from the post as Urologist at the Government Kalaignar Centenary Superspecialty Hospital in Guindy, Chennai on December 6, 2023.
Despite taking up immediate duties at the new station in Chennai the following day, the doctor has been left without income for a month due to the non-issuance of their Last Pay Certificate (LPC). The LPC, a critical document for government servants during job transitions, is mandated to be sent on the same day as the relieving order. This delay has resulted in the urologist not receiving the salary for December 2023 with grim prospects for January 2024.
“A Last Pay Certificate ( LPC), as per govt rules shd be sent on the SAME day, that the relieving order is sent(6.12.23), so that the govt servant is not deprived of his source of income. Yet, even after a month of relief, the clerks who prepare/send the LPC hv still not sent it to my current station inside Chennai.“, the Dravidian Stock doctor wrote on his social media page.
He further added “Without an LPC, I can’t be issued a salary at my new station. I have not received any pay for December, and I am certain I will not receive my January salary either, since it is too late (LPC not arrived). As a govt doctor, if I delay a life saving surgery by even one hour, hell will be (correctly) let loose on me. What is the punishment for dereliction of duty by the clerk at Kalaignar Hospital?”
Recalling a past incident at Government Medical College, Salem, the doctor narrated how a refusal to succumb to a bribe led to the LPC being destroyed right before his eyes, with no subsequent action taken against the clerk in question despite a formal complaint.
“When I once joined Govt Salem Medical College as a urologist, the 25 yr old clerk (I was around 40) demanded a bribe of Rs 3000, to issue my first salary. Since I refused to pay a bribe, he simply tore up my LPC in my presence,& calmly said “Do what u can do.” I gave a complaint to the then Dean, but nothing happened since it seems this alcoholic clerk was the chief bribe-collector for that Dean.”, he said.
With no private practice due to health issues, the doctor apparently relies solely on the government salary, emphasizing the gravity of the situation where delayed justice feels like denied justice.
“Because of health issues, I don’t hv a private practice . So, don’t have any other income from a medical source. Isn’t delayed justice -buried justice? I have done my doctor’s duty. Has the clerk done his? Kalaignar Hospital is very well staffed by clerks. So they can’t claim shortage of hands, for dereliction of duty. Will govt clerks start working properly atleast after my death (I am certain it will not happen in my lifetime), so that atleast the next gen of doctors, will not suffer?“, he said.
The doctor further observed that the hospital’s clerical staff are heavily unionized, a factor that seems to instill a degree of apprehension in the authorities when it comes to initiating disciplinary action against them.
“Even IAS officers can be sacked, but in reality, govt clerks are never dismissed/suspended. Such is the power of their unionised strength.“, he said.
I am here to rant.
I was relieved from the post of Urologist, Govt Kalaignar Centenary Superspecialty Hospital, Guindy, Chennai on 6.12.23 & joined my new Chennai station the next morning. Exactly one month (30 days) has passed since then.
A Last Pay…— Dr Jaison Philip. M.S., MCh (@Jasonphilip8) January 6, 2024