Goa Medical College doctor appointment under vigilance probe

PANAJI: Dr Prashant Natekar’s, appointment as a member of the Medical Education Cell (MEC) has come as a surprise to the teaching faculty, as well as students. Dr Natekar had been denudated from being Department Head, Anatomy, Goa Medical College(GMC) and Hospital, in view of the pending vigilance inquiry against him, through a June order.

On being divested of his charge, he was also asked to report to the public health department, at the Secretariat, in Porvorim, till such time that the enquiry was on.

The local medical fraternity was shocked at his inclusion into the MEC as he has yet to be cleared of the charges levelled against him.

"We are aghast that he has been appointed as a member of medical education cell despite the charge against him and his removal as head of department pending inquiry. It meant he was not supposed to even visit the department," said a GMC doctor, preferring anonymity told TOI.

Dr Natekar faces multiple charges, some of harassment filed by his workplace colleagues, and others pertaining to professional irregularities.Students have blamed him for alleged favoritism.

The Health Minister in his file note, in June while commenting on the seriousness of charges levelled against him had said that complaints against Natekar are ‘very serious in nature’, and therefore, needed to be dealt with sternly.

"Naturally, his appointment has come has a surprise," said an anatomy department faculty to the TOI.

The MEC, to which Natekar becomes member is mainly tasked with selecting topics for continuing medical education (CME), organizing workshops during the period of its tenure and selecting speakers for CMEs .

A new eight-member MEC headed by the Dean, Dr Pradeep Naik as Chairman, was re-constituted after two members departed. While Dr D D Motghare superannuated, Dr Jagdish Bhat resigned from the cell.