Mains Practice Questions

Case Study

You are a newly appointed Medical Superintendent at a government hospital in a tier-2 city, having achieved this position after years of dedicated service. The hospital recently received a substantial grant to establish a state-of-the-art cardiac care unit, a crucial facility as the nearest cardiac center is 200 kilometers away. During the procurement process for medical equipment, you discover that your immediate superior, the Director of Health Services, in collaboration with certain contractors, has inflated the equipment costs by 40% through manipulated tenders. The difference amounts to approximately Rs.12 crores, which could have been used to upgrade the pediatric ward that desperately needs ventilators.

When you raise this issue, the Director reminds you of your recent appointment and the fact that your spouse, also a doctor, was just transferred to this city after a three-year separation. He suggests that "administrative harmony" is crucial for your family's stability. Meanwhile, a reputed medical equipment supplier privately approaches you with documented evidence of the tender manipulation. You also learn that similar practices have been overlooked by your predecessors to "keep the system running." Now, you find your caught between ethical obligations and personal stability, and need to find a way out of this situation.

1. What are the stakeholders involved in this situation?

2. What are the ethical issues involved in this case?

3. What course of action would you take as the Medical Superintendent to address this situation effectively?