PESHAWAR, May 20: The transfer of a junior registrar at the Khyber Teaching Hospital's orthopaedic ward has created a discord between the in-charge of the ward and the hospital's administration.

"The secretary health issued transfer orders of the junior registrar of the orthopaedic ward on March 31 on recommendations of the hospital administration but the in-charge consultant of the ward is reluctant to relieve the doctor," sources said.

They quoted the ward's in-charge consultant as saying that the junior registrar had been working satisfactorily but a group representing a vested interest was actively engaged in a campaign to malign him.

Sources said that the well-entrenched group in the administration had been accusing the doctor of malpractice and unethical practices. "He takes commissions from medical stores, where he sends patients to purchase drugs and implants. He charges huge amounts to operate upon patients," said a hospital administration official.

The administration had been trying to ban the doctor's entry to the ward, but they had so far failed to do so because the in- charge of the ward had expressed confidence in the registrar, sources said. They said that the doctor in question catered to the needs of two wards - orthopaedic and trauma - which comprised 76 beds.

As there are only two consultants in the two wards, the same doctor had been coping with an immense workload, they said. "He made advised treatment to all patients, conducted morning and evening rounds and made discharge slips of patients himself.

This is not the job of a single person, but he is immensely competent", said a source working at the same ward, adding that he remained on call 24 hours a day as the ward constantly received emergency patients.

A few days ago, the health minister visited the ward at night time and "ordered" the administration to ban the doctor's entry but he was still examining and operating upon patients.

A few days ago, the medical superintendent, along with the deputy medical superintendent, had gone to the orthopaedic ward at night, asking the doctor to leave the ward, but he had refused.

"The MS and DMS have been vigorously campaigning against the doctor, but they are yet to succeed in their efforts to ban him from the ward", a source at the ward said.

Both the MS and DMS come to the ward at night because of the presence of the in-charge consultant in day time. Some four days ago, a patient was brought to the ward in emergency, but the administration restrained the doctor from operating on the same patient at the hospital, source said, adding that the doctor had shifted the patient to a private hospital, where he was operated upon and then admitted to the orthopaedic ward.

Sources said that ward's in-charge have several times visited the office of the chief executive and had asked him to restrict his subordinates from harassing the registrar.

When the harassment of the KTH's administration increased against him, he went to the court, which restrained the administration from transferring the doctors, source said.

But the administration, the source said had been continuously harassing him and he planned to file a contempt of court case against the administration. Sources said that the patients would suffer immensely if the said doctor was transferred.