The faculty members’ association of IGIMS-Patna met health minister Ramdhani Singh on Tuesday seeking withdrawal of the decision taken at the board of governors meeting to dismiss five doctors for indulging in private practice.

“We informed the minister that no proper inquiry was done in the case. Only an explanation was sought from the six doctors but the team constituted by the health department, which probed the matter, did not provide evidence regarding their claim. We requested the minister to reconsider the matter,” said Vibhuti Prasad Sinha, the secretary of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), faculty members’ association.

According to rules, the body of governors can take decision regarding action against doctors. The health minister of the state heads the body. Health department secretary, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, too, are members of the board that comprises 12 members. The remaining members are drawn from the IGIMS administration.

Sources said the team constituted by the health department had mentioned in its report that six doctors were found indulging in private practice but later one name was dropped because proper evidence was not found against the physician.

On April 1, Deepak Kumar, the principal secretary, health, shot off a letter to N.R. Biswas, the IGIMS director, asking him to take action against the erring doctors. He asked the director to recover the non-practising allowance from them.

The body of governors that decided to remove the five “erring” doctors from the job had accepted the suggestion of the principal secretary as far as realising the non-practising allowance from them was concerned. IGIMS doctors are entitled to non-practising allowance in the range of Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000 per month in accordance to their salary. Their salaries vary between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.4 lakh per month.

The Bihar chapter of Indian Medical Association and Bihar Health Services Association has also come forward in support of the doctors who now face the threat of losing their jobs. “We are opposing the decision because proper inquiry was not conducted in the case. Punishing someone without sufficient evidence is against natural justice,” said Sahjanand Prasad Singh, the vice-president of IMA.

He added that even if they are found guilty, they should be left with a stern warning instead of taking the extreme step of removing them from the job.