Three Doctors' Alleged Dual Appointments At IGM Hospital And BNCMC Health Centres Raise Questions Over Duty Hours, Attendance And Payments

Bhiwandi: Alleged overlapping contractual appointments of three doctors at the Indira Gandhi Memorial (IGM) Sub-District Hospital and the Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation’s (BNCMC) health department have raised questions over recruitment procedures duty schedules and the verification of attendance and honorarium payments. Appointment details indicate that the doctors were engaged by both institutions at different points, with some duty timings potentially overlapping. However, the extent of any actual overlap and whether any irregularity occurred remain to be established through an official inquiry.

The matter came up at the municipal corporation’s standing committee meeting on September 19, when officials said they could not provide complete details in the absence of Chief Medical Officer Dr Sandeep Gadekar. The health department assured the committee that details of doctors’ postings, expenditure at health centres and the annual budget required for the smooth functioning of the BGP Hospital would be presented at the next meeting.

Dr Bushra Syed reportedly acknowledged that the department had received information about doctors holding appointments at both IGM and the municipal corporation and that the matter was being examined.

Three appointments raise questions

The first case concerns Dr Mozzam Khan who was appointed by the Thane Civil Surgeon to IGM Sub-District Hospital on February 2, 2024, for an 11-month contractual term, with a monthly honorarium of Rs 75,000. On May 16, 2025, the BNCMC health department appointed him as a medical officer at the HBT Aapla Davakhana in Noori Nagar for Rs 60,000 per month. His municipal duty was scheduled from 2 pm to 10 pm.

The appointment has also raised questions about reservation and eligibility. The post was reportedly reserved for a Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidate. According to the department, no ST candidate had come forward for 17 months following which Dr Khan, belonging to the general category was engaged subject to certain conditions. The applicable recruitment and reservation provisions, and compliance with the conditions of appointment, require verification.

The second case involves Dr Abdul Rahman, appointed on a contractual basis at IGM on April 6, 2026. On July 16, 2026, the municipal health department appointed him as a medical officer at the Urban Health and Wellness Centre in Bandar Mohalla, with a monthly honorarium of Rs 60,000. His municipal duty hours were reportedly fixed from 9 am to 5 pm. The corresponding IGM duty schedule needs to be examined to establish whether the two assignments overlapped.

The third case concerns Dr Sohan Naik, appointed as a medical officer at IGM on June 15, 2026, at a monthly honorarium of Rs 75,000. Nearly a month later, on July 14, 2026, the municipal health department appointed him as a medical officer at a portable-cabin health facility in Karivali for Rs 60,000 per month.

The sequence of appointments has prompted demands for a comparison of the contractual terms, joining dates, duty rosters, attendance registers and payment records maintained by the two institutions.

Geo-tagged attendance under scrutiny

The municipal health centres are understood to have a system requiring digital attendance evidence, including geo-tagged photographs. Investigators would need to establish whether the doctors recorded attendance at the municipal facilities during hours when they were also required to be present at IGM.

A technical examination of time-stamped photographs, attendance logs and duty registers could help determine whether the records are consistent. The inquiry would also need to establish whether the doctors actually performed their assigned duties at both institutions and whether the honorarium payments corresponded to verified services.

The issue extends beyond the three appointments. Since IGM and the municipal corporation operate under separate administrative arrangements, the circumstances in which the second appointments were approved, including verification of existing contractual commitments, will be crucial to determining accountability.

Corporator seeks high-level inquiry

Faraz Bahauddin an NCP (SP) corporator and member of the municipal standing committee, has sought a high-level inquiry into the appointments, alleging possible collusion. He said he would raise the issue at the forthcoming standing committee meeting and seek scrutiny of the role of officials and employees responsible for the appointments and monitoring systems.

When contacted, BNCMC Chief Medical Officer Dr Sandeep Gadekar was approached through a message for his response. No response was received, and his mobile phone was subsequently found switched off.

Thane Civil Surgeon Dr Kailas Pawar said he was unaware of any instance of doctors working at two institutions simultaneously. He said IGM Medical Superintendent Dr Madhavi Pedhare would be in a better position to comment on the hospital’s contractual appointments.

Dr Pedhare said contractual doctors were appointed through the Civil Surgeon, who was the appointing authority for IGM, while appointments in the municipal corporation were made by its chief medical officer. Doctors come to us directly with appointment orders she said, adding that the doctors concerned would be responsible if they had secured appointments despite conflicting commitments.

The key questions now are whether the two institutions’ records will be formally reconciled, whether the attendance and payment data will undergo an audit, and whether any breach of contractual conditions or recruitment rules is established. The findings of a document-based inquiry will determine whether the matter involves administrative lapses or actionable irregularities.

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