Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen on Wednesday suspended a duty doctor of Jaintapur Upazila Health Complex in Sylhet for his unauthorised work absentia.

Upazila Family Planning Officer Rentu Purkayastha was not in his office when the minister was visiting the upazila health complex this noon, the health ministry said in a press statement.

A notification signed by Deputy Secretary of the health ministry, Sharmin Yasmin, has already been issued, stating that Rentu has been temporarily suspended by order of the minister.

This action follows his unauthorized absence from the office, as well as his negligence and irresponsibility in official duties, according to the notice.

During his visit to the hospital, Sen inspected the operation theatre, male and female wards, staff room, staff quarters, and other areas within the hospital and found numerous anomalies. He also talked to the indoor and outdoor patients.

Suddenly, he was taken aback to see an advertisement regarding the relocation of private chambers of doctors in a prominently visible location in the health complex.

Later, he promptly directed the health officials, present at that time, to provide an explanation for the placement of such an advertisement.

“How can there be an advertisement regarding the relocation of doctors’ chambers in a visible place inside a government institution? It could not have happened if there was no interest-related issue between the private clinics, chambers, and the government health center,” he said.

At one point during his visit, the health minister felt the need for hand sanitizer, but the hospital authorities failed to provide it to him.

“A government health center is running where no hand sanitizer is being used there. How can this be?” said the health minister.

The government is spending crores of money to operate an upazila health complex, but the people are being denied treatment facilities, Sen said, expressing his utter dissatisfaction over the doctors’ negligence in duties.

“I want to make it very clear to all doctors that I will not only oversee irregularities in private hospitals but also monitor government hospitals. No one will be spared if such anomalies are found in government hospitals,” he warned.