Absentee KIMS doctor to get the sack

The State government is said to have decided to sack Dr Kranthi Kiran, a neurosurgeon at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Science (KIMS), Hubli, for unauthorised absence from work for 19 months.

The issue is likely to come up for discussion in the governing council meeting of KIMS on Tuesday, where a formal decision to terminate him is likely to be taken, sources in KIMS told Deccan Herald.

“Dr Kiran’s absence, which affected postgraduate students and poor patients in North Karnataka, and his decision to opt for voluntary retirement from service (VRS) came up for discussion in the last governing council meeting on September 25.

 Later, I instructed KIMS Director Dr U S Hangaraga to initiate disciplinary action against Dr Kiran as per the law,” Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil told Deccan Herald.

Regarding the nature of the disciplinary action, the minister maintained that there was no question of accepting his resignation due to technical reasons and that he would be dismissed from service for his offences.

Recently, Deccan Herald had reported about Kiran’s absence and how it had affected the students and patients.

Hangaraga said that “Dr Kiran has opted for VRS, but the KIMS guidelines require a minimum of 15 years of service by an employee. Dr Kiran has not completed 15 years of service and hence is ineligible for VRS,” he added.

The KIMS director said that after deducting leaves from his account, Kiran was found to have served for just over 10 years.

He should report for duty immediately as per the earlier directions of the governing council or face termination, he added.

The Directorate of Medical Education considered the unauthorised absence of Kiran seriously after this newspaper carried a detailed report in its edition on September 26. Later, the KIMS director was instructed to act against the doctor.

Defying instructions by the director and the decision of the governing council, the highest decision-making body of KIMS, Kiran remained absent for 591 days between November 3, 2012 and June 16, 2014 without applying for leave.

KIMS reportedly credited him his salary – over Rs one lakh per month – due to his proximity to politicians.

A local MLA and two state-level leaders based in Hubli advised him to opt for VRS to save himself from an embarrassing situation.

He applied for VRS even without understanding the guidelines for VRS, said the sources.