KATHMANDU, Nov 21: Neurosurgeon Prof Dr Dhruba Raj Adhikari, who was conferred with the Jewel of Nation award seven years ago, has resigned from Bir Hospital, protesting against "the culture of bribery and the compulsion to butter up a layers of officials for promotions."

Dr Adhikari submitted his resignation to Deputy Prime Minister and Health and Population Minister Upendra Yadav on Monday, saying he was not ready to bribe and butter up officials to get promotion. 

“I resigned from the post as I could not bribe  and butter up quite a thick layer of officials from Bir Hospital (National Academy of Medical Sciences)  to the Ministry of Health and Population,” said Prof Adhikari, who was appointed a medical officer at Bir Hospital 30 years ago. “They indirectly asked me for money to promote me,” he told Republica.

Dr Adhikari was not promoted for 30 years after he was appointed a medical officer. The government promoted him from the eighth level to the ninth level only in December 2017. “However, they did not assign me to the promoted post even though there was a vacant seat,” he said. “I believe in work and never practiced the culture of bribing and buttering up anyone,” he added.

Prof Dr Adhikari is the chief of the Neurosurgery Unit of Bir Hospital where 70-80 neuro patients come every day for treatment. There were three neurosurgeons at Bir Hospital. After facing similar problems, nureosurgeon Dr Gopal Raman Sharma resigned a year ago. Now, after the resignation of Dr Adhikari, Bir is left with only one neurosurgeon, Dr Prakash Bist, apart from the interns to examine the patients. It is reported that Dr Bist, too, has faced the same problems.

“It will not be a surprise if Dr Bist resigns but I am not his spokesperson to speak about him,”said Adhikari. “I was not working here for the sake of a job. I wanted to serve the people from the government health facility but the government disrespected me,” he said. 

Dr Bhupendra Basnet, executive director at Bir Hospital, said that he is unaware of the resignation of Dr Adhikari. “To get promoted, a candidate must have the required qualifications and there has to be a vacant position. I was also promoted after 15 years,” said Dr Basnet.

Prof Dr Adhikari, who received his bachelor's degree in medicine from the Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj, and was trained in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the USA,  has been teaching at the National Academy of Medical Sciences (Bir Hospital) for years.

Prof Adhikari said he was disappointed by DPM Yadav and former Minister of State for Health, Padma Aryal. “I never demanded or lobbied for my promotion with any minister in the last three decades. I just talked about the issue with ministers Yadav and Aryal but they did not heed me,” he claimed.

When contacted, DPM Yadav was unavailable for comments. Seven years ago, it was the same Yadav, who, as the then DPM and Foreign Minister, had conferred the Jewel of Nation award on Dr Adhikari.   

Mahendra  Shrestha, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, expressed ignorance about Dr Adhikari's resignation. “There was no vacant post of the ninth level at the ministry when he was promoted. Then, we posted him in Pokhara about a year ago,” said Shrestha. “We requested him to attend the office for a day and then we assured him to transfer to the ministry,” he claimed. “Now, there is a vacant post of ninth level at Bir Hospital and we can adjust him there but he will get retirement in a few months.”

 
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