Pune civil surgeon faces disciplinary action for negligence

The State Public Health Department has proposed disciplinary action against Dr. Nagnath Yempallay, the Pune district civil surgeon. This action is due to his failure to follow important government guidelines for healthcare institution accreditation. Officials say Dr. Yempallay did not properly fill out the ODK tool kit, which is essential for evaluating healthcare facilities. He also failed to suggest any local institutions for the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) evaluation for the upcoming year. On March 18, Dr. Radhakishan Pawar, the deputy director of health services for the Pune Region, sent Dr. Yempallay a letter. He has 10 days to submit a written defense to both the director of health services and the deputy director’s office. Dr. Yempallay is tasked with ensuring compliance with Indian public health standards. However, out of all healthcare institutions under his supervision, only nine scored above 80% on the ODK assessment tool. Additionally, he has not proposed any institutions for NQAS accreditation, despite reminders. The memorandum highlights that the Central Government has provided training and issued guidelines, but the adherence to these instructions has been poor. If Dr. Yempallay does not respond to the charges within the deadline, the department may make a decision without him. In response, Dr. Yempallay stated that necessary work has been completed at the institute level, but his staff has not updated the system. He plans to address the shortcomings and issue show cause notices to the responsible officials for their inaction.