An apology for procedural lapses and a formal closure of the probe are being discussed as possible ways to end the episode.
Published Aug 09, 2025 | 5:26 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 09, 2025 | 5:26 PM
Dr Haris Chirakkal
Synopsis: An inquiry report on the missing equipment will reach the minister’s office on Monday and it will be interesting to note whether a police probe will get ordered especially the GMCH Thiruvananthapuram Principal’s and Superintendent’s narrative of a CCTV visual that shows a ‘person’ entering the office of Dr Haris though the keys of the office are with a faculty member of the Urology Department.
The more than month-long standoff between whistleblower Dr. Haris CS, aka Haris Chirakkal, the head of the Urology Department at the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), and the state’s health administration appears to be inching towards a truce.
With the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA) throwing its weight behind Dr. Haris, and indications that the state government now recognises that prolonging the controversy could further tarnish its public image, the storm over the ‘systemic lapses’ may lose its intensity.
In the last week of June, Dr Haris came out with a Facebook post alleging that essential purchases for the department remain pending and procedures couldn’t be performed on time. It created a storm, and Health Minister Veena George ordered a probe.
But later, the minister, who called Haris an honest and hardworking medical professional, put him under a cloud of doubt.
The row began when George, citing an expert committee report on systemic lapses at MCH, said a morcelloscope — a surgical device — had gone missing from the Urology Department.
Dr. Haris, who had been the whistleblower in flagging deficiencies at the hospital, immediately countered the claim, insisting that no such device was missing.
The controversy deepened in early August when MCH Principal Dr. PK Jabbar and Superintendent Dr. BS Sunilkumar led two inspections of the Urology HoD’s room in Dr. Haris’s absence.
They claimed to have found packages labelled “morcelloscope” along with a bill dated 2 August, implying a recent purchase.
However, the company involved, Capsule Global Solutions, clarified that the items were in fact old nephroscopes — keyhole surgery instruments more than a decade old — sent for repair and later returned after the department could not arrange the ₹2 lakh per device needed for fixing.
A clerical error by the company’s staff had mistakenly labelled the package as containing morcelloscopes.
The “bill” inside was a delivery challan, not a purchase invoice.
In a strongly worded press note on Saturday, 9 August, the KGMCTA accused the MCH authorities of attempting to frame Dr. Haris and described the sealing of his office in his absence as a violation of natural justice.
“Inspecting the HoD’s room without their presence, sealing it, and failing to issue a receipt is improper and unacceptable,” the association said.
Following executive and central committee meetings, the KGMCTA warned that any move to punish Dr. Haris would be protested.
Senior faculty members also voiced dismay that the administration had spent weeks chasing a phantom missing device instead of addressing the systemic issues flagged by Dr. Haris.
The KGMCTA alleged that instead of addressing the issues raised by Dr. Harris regarding the treatment of poor patients in the government institution, the authorities attempted to portray him in a negative light.
“A head of the department’s room is also the department’s office, containing answer scripts, mark lists, correspondence, equipment, and official documents. Such inspections should be done in the presence of the HoD,” the statement read, calling the move “against common justice.”
KGMCTA accused the authorities of later holding a press conference to make “false allegations” against Dr. Harris — allegations that it said have since been proven wrong.
It noted that an investigation confirmed that a missing morcelloscope flagged by Dr. Harris was in fact present.
The “newly found” device mentioned in the press conference, the KGMCTA said, was a nephroscope that had been sent for repairs and returned with proper receipts.
“This could have been understood if there had been a proper inquiry,” the organisation stated, adding that the incident reflects “actions beyond common sense” from those in charge.
The association also pointed out that maintenance and repair of equipment are the responsibility of the Stores, Purchase, and Biomedical departments, which should assist HoDs in procurement.
KGMCTA said it had received assurances from the state health minister and the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) that there would be no retaliatory action against Dr. Harris and that the issues raised would be discussed in detail soon.
The organisation expressed full support for Dr. Harris, warning, “If he is framed and punished on false charges instead of resolving the issues, the organisation will be forced to move towards strong protest programmes. We will resist any attempt to scapegoat faculty members in the future.”
Dr. Haris on Saturday said that he was on a week’s leave, during which he was under psychiatric care.
Speaking to the media, he made it clear that he no longer wished to comment on the matter, saying that prolonging the dispute would harm the institution.
He clarified that he never told the expert committee that a morcelloscope was missing, only that certain parts would be checked — a routine practice.
He also said he bore no personal grudge against the health minister, whom he described as “a very important person” to him, suggesting she may have been misinformed.
In a gesture aimed at de-escalation, he said he had apologised to the minister for any trouble caused and reiterated that he welcomed any investigation.
According to sources, the state government is now aware that dragging the dispute further could damage its standing, especially since the “missing equipment” narrative has collapsed.
To make matters worse, Director of Medical Education Dr. Viswanathan admitted to calling the MCH principal and superintendent during their press conference, instructing them to read the investigation report — an intervention widely seen as an attempt to put Dr Haris under doubt.
While Minister George has refrained from commenting on the latest developments, those close to the matter suggest that an understanding is quietly taking shape. An apology for procedural lapses and a formal closure of the probe are being discussed as possible ways to end the episode.
For more than a month, the face-off between the health department and one of the state’s most outspoken medical college faculty members had raised questions about administrative overreach, the treatment of whistleblowers, and the hospital’s internal politics.
Now, with the key stakeholders — the government, Dr. Haris, and the KGMCTA — signalling that they want the matter put to rest, the high-profile controversy appears set to close, at least officially.
Whether the underlying tensions at the medical college will heal as quickly remains to be seen.
At the same time, an inquiry report on the missing equipment will reach the minister’s office on Monday and it will be interesting to note whether a police probe will get ordered especially the GMCH Thiruvananthapuram Principal’s and Superintendent’s narrative of a CCTV visual that shows a ‘person’ entering the office of Dr Haris though the keys of the office are with a faculty member of the Urology Department.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
