Rajkot: Removing a name from an official website, which should have taken five minutes in this era of instant digital updates, has turned into months of hassles for a former resident medical officer (RMO) of Rajkot Civil Hospital.Despite him retiring as resident medical officer (RMO) of the hospital in Oct 31, 2025, Dr Mahendra Chavda continues to be officially listed as the RMO of Saurashtra’s largest govt hospital on multiple platforms, including the hospital website, PMJAY portal, CM dashboard and iRAD app.What should have been a peaceful retirement has turned into constant harassment for the senior doctor, who keeps receiving calls from police stations, govt departments and relatives of patients at all hours, seeking official information that he is no longer authorized to provide.Fed up with this administrative indifference, Dr Chavda staged an unusual protest on Tuesday. Accompanied by a drummer beating drums continuously, he marched to the office of the medical superintendent to draw attention to his plight.“Police personnel in Veraval or Junagadh don’t know who is currently in-charge here. They simply see the number listed on the portal and call to inquire about the condition of patients involved in accidents or crimes,” he said. “Sometimes I had to attend such calls even while attending a funeral or social function.”The iRAD app is used by police to upload and track accident-related reports and can also be accessed by relatives of accident victims.Dr Chavda said he had submitted written representations to the hospital administration three times in six months, but no corrective action had been taken.He also alleged that even when he shares the contact details of the current official in charge, calls often go unanswered, forcing police to call him again for urgent information.In a memorandum to the medical superintendent, Dr Chavda stated that he has occasionally faced arguments with police personnel and relatives of patients because, as a retired official, he is unable to provide the information they seek.“I have been assured that action will be taken as soon as possible. Let’s see,” he told TOI.
