Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College controversy gets murkier

The imbroglio at the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College involving whistle-blower doctor and Head of Urology department Haris Chirackal, who went public about the systemic deficiencies that was affecting patient care, an equipment which supposedly went “missing” from the department under his watch and subsequent investigations seems to be getting murkier.

A press conference called by Principal of the medical college P.K. Jabbar and Superintendent Sunilkumar on Friday (August 8, 2025) to explain the ongoing situation at the medical college only served to create more confusion and to fuel the theory that Dr. Chirackal was a becoming a victim of the persecution by the Kerala government and the “system.”

Dr. Jabbar and Dr. Sunilkumar explained that following the mention about an equipment gone “missing” from the Urology department in the report of an expert committee which enquired into the allegations about systemic deficiencies raised by Dr. Chirackal, the medical college authorities had conducted two inspections at the Urology department and at the room of Dr. Chirackal on August 5 and 7 to trace the equipment.

On leave

Dr. Chirackal has been on leave since August 4, following a show cause notice issued by the government against him and the subsequent controversy over the “missing” equipment (a Morcilloscope, which he maintained was in his room and was never missing).

The authorities explained to the media that on the first examination of the HoD’s room on August 5, they had found a small box with a Morcilloscope. However, on a second “detailed” examination of the HoD’s room on August 7, they said that they found a bigger carton, which seemed to have come through a courier service, which contained another instrument, a Nephroscope. But there were some bills inside the said box, which seemed “unusual,” for one of the bills seemed to have been issued on August 2 by some company in Ernakulam for the purchase of a Morcilloscope, they said.

The implication was clear; that the Morcilloscope seemed to be a recent acquisition, purchased right after the matter of the “missing” equipment was unearthed in the expert committee report.

The authorities added another mysterious angle to the story when they said that a CCTV footage had shown someone going into the locked room of the HoD and that a more detailed investigation was needed in order to ascertain the truth of the matter.

Dr. Chirackal, meanwhile, in a message posted on August 7 in a social media group of the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA), protested that after inspecting his room on the first day, an entire army of medical college officials had again gone into his room on the second day and that they had locked the room with a new lock. He expressed fear that he might be “trapped” by the authorities by foisting false allegations of malpractice or by some tampering in his room.

No clear explanation

The press conference by the authorities thus seemed to echo Dr. Chirackal’s fear that he would be put under a cloud. They also did not have a clear explanation as to why they had not clarified the matter with Dr. Chirackal before holding a press conference.

Responding to queries about the new “developments,” KGMCTA general secretary Rosenara Beegum said they had met Dr. Jabbar and that clearly, an independent enquiry was needed as to why the controversy over Dr. Chirackal’s revelations and what followed was becoming more dubious. The KGMCTA would be calling an emergency central committee meeting to discuss the issue. Dr. Rosenara said that the KGMCTA was fully backing Dr. Chirackal, who was being put through extreme stress.

Chirackal’s stance

Later in the day, Dr. Chirackal, in another message posted in the KGMCTA group, explained that the department had sent a couple of old Nephroscopes to a firm at Ernakulam for repairs and that as the repairs were to be too expensive, he had asked the firm to return the equipment. He said in the post that the couriered box with nephroscope/scopes found in his room was probably the same.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, while talking to the media here, said the Health Minister seemed to be leading a conspiracy to persecute Dr. Chirackal and shame him publicly, a clear message to everyone on what fate awaits a whistle-blower. He said that the United Democratic Front will do everything to protect and back the honest and hardworking doctor.