By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun/Zaragoza (Spain), 8 Jul: Chairman of Uttarakhand’s State Health Authority and retired IAS officer, DK Kotia has resigned from his post. Kotia had been appointed as Chairman of the state health authority by the then Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. Notably, the resignation of Kotia comes after the transfer of the Authority’s Secretary, Arunenda Singh Chauhan. Both Kotia and Chauhan were reported to be at loggerheads with each other since long.
Kotia, who carries a clean image as a bureaucrat, did face certain charges though it can’t be stated that he was directly responsible for those mistakes. The State Health Authority has been widely criticised by many that many smaller hospitals with little or no infrastructure (medical infrastructure necessary to run a hospital) had been empanelled by the State Health Authority. But it is also equally true that the Authority had taken action of recoveries and blacklisting against some hospitals who had submitted fake or inflated bills for treatment of patients under the Atal Ayushman Health Scheme.
Yet another allegation faced by the State Health Authority is that earlier the offices of the authority were operated from the Headquarters of the State’s Health Department only. However, later a very expensive hotel type accommodation was hired on rent at IT Park on Sahastradhara Road and huge amount spent on furnishing of the office. The state health authority has also faced allegations of many backdoor appointments. It is notable that Kotia was due to retire or complete his term as Chairman of the State Health Authority in less than three months from now. Questions have also been raised about why Kotia decided to put in his papers just two months prior to his retirement. To be fair to Kotia, he does not face any specific personal allegations, hence it can’t be stated that he resigned under any pressure.
Dehradun/Zaragoza (Spain), 8 Jul: Chairman of Uttarakhand’s State Health Authority and retired IAS officer, DK Kotia has resigned from his post. Kotia had been appointed as Chairman of the state health authority by the then Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. Notably, the resignation of Kotia comes after the transfer of the Authority’s Secretary, Arunenda Singh Chauhan. Both Kotia and Chauhan were reported to be at loggerheads with each other since long.
Kotia, who carries a clean image as a bureaucrat, did face certain charges though it can’t be stated that he was directly responsible for those mistakes. The State Health Authority has been widely criticised by many that many smaller hospitals with little or no infrastructure (medical infrastructure necessary to run a hospital) had been empanelled by the State Health Authority. But it is also equally true that the Authority had taken action of recoveries and blacklisting against some hospitals who had submitted fake or inflated bills for treatment of patients under the Atal Ayushman Health Scheme.
Yet another allegation faced by the State Health Authority is that earlier the offices of the authority were operated from the Headquarters of the State’s Health Department only. However, later a very expensive hotel type accommodation was hired on rent at IT Park on Sahastradhara Road and huge amount spent on furnishing of the office. The state health authority has also faced allegations of many backdoor appointments. It is notable that Kotia was due to retire or complete his term as Chairman of the State Health Authority in less than three months from now. Questions have also been raised about why Kotia decided to put in his papers just two months prior to his retirement. To be fair to Kotia, he does not face any specific personal allegations, hence it can’t be stated that he resigned under any pressure.
