The Union Health Ministry has on Thursday initiated action against Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Dr A K Bisoi after they received a complaint accusing Dr Bisoi of inappropriately placing a sweeper as part of the cardiothoracic surgical team at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Incidentally, Dr Bisoi is widely considered close to former Director AIIMS Dr P Venugopal, who left AIIMS after a very troubled relationship with the Health Minister. Those close to the former director, see this as part of the battle still raging in AIIMS between the Health Minister and those perceived to be close to Dr Venugopal.

Ministry sources said that according to the complaint, Dr A K Bisoi had mentored Banwari Lal, and taught him to operate the heart-lung machine. Besides, ‘mentoring’ Lal, who earlier worked as a sweeper with Sulabh Shauchalay, Dr Bisoi, has been accused of issuing a certificate that helped Lal land a job in the surgical team in the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) at GB Pant Hospital.

When contacted, Dr Bisoi said that he had not issued any certificate to Banwari Lal. “If documents have been fabricated, the authorities must examine that. I did not issue any certificate and the administration has not contacted me so far,” he said.

According to Ministry officials, Dr Bisoi “is not a gazetted officer and does not have the power to issue certificates.” 

Union Health Ministry sources close to Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said that the minister was aware of the case involving Dr Bisoi.

“This is a criminal offence —he employed a sweeper and posted him in the operation theatre. He is not even a gazetted officer with powers to issue the certificate to this sweeper. The Ministry has received complaints against Dr Bisoi before,” said sources close to the Minister.

Senior Ministry officials added that the investigation against Dr Bisoi had been concluded today and “appropriate action has already been initiated.”

“For issuing the certificate, Bisoi is likely to face criminal charges,” they added.

When contacted, Head of CTVS at GB Pant Hospital, Dr Amit Banerjee confirmed that Banwari Lal had approached the hospital with a certificate provided by Dr Bisoi.

Officials said that Lal had been an acting “perfusionist” — that is a highly-trained member of the cardiothoracic surgical team.

The perfusionist’s main responsibility is to support the physiological and metabolic needs of a patient needing cardiac surgery so that the surgeon may operate on a still, unbeating heart. This is accomplished through the utilisation of the heart-lung machine.