Thiruvananthapuram: The whistleblower doctor, Dr. Haris Chirakkal, head of the Urology Department at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, has rejected the allegations of Health Minister Veena George regarding missing equipment from the department.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Haris said that audits are conducted every year and that no equipment or parts of any equipment are missing.

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‘Report is fake if it says I lied’: Dr Haris Chirakkal defends remarks, prepares formal reply

The Health Minister had earlier stated that medical equipment, including an oscilloscope worth Rs 20 lakh, are missing, and that a departmental inquiry was underway.

Dr Haris claimed that audits are conducted every year, which was true for last year as well. He claimed before the media that no equipment or equipment parts are missing.

Regarding the oscilloscope referred to by the Health Minister, Haris said that the instrument does not cost Rs 20 lakh, but is actually priced at Rs 14 lakh. He said that all the equipment is inside the hospital, revealing how they were all photographed for evidence, which was then handed over to the Collector's office.

Recollecting that the equipments were procured using Shashi Tharoor MP's fund, he added that since there are so many equipment, the expert committee may not have had time to examine them thoroughly.

Haris said that he did not know why the Health Minister had issued such a statement. He added that the expert committee could not possibly say that the equipment was deliberately damaged, asserting his responsibility over all the departmental equipments.

The Health Minister’s statement

The Health Minister said on Friday that the investigation committee had found that a part of the equipment purchased from the MP's fund was missing. “It is routine protocol to seek an explanation from Haris Chirakkal, who revealed in a Facebook post that there was no equipment required for the surgery,” she said, stating how this was only a natural procedure since Haris’ action was found to be in violation of the code of conduct for government officials.

Further, the Minister pointed out how the investigation committee’s report had also led to revelations regarding a part of the equipment purchased from the MP's fund being missing. “This had not been reported before,” the Health Minister Veena George said in her official statement.