Panaji, Sep 25 (TOI): The vigilance department on Thursday issued orders suspending Dr A M Mesquita, professor and head of pulmonary medicine department, Goa medical college (GMC) and hospital, Bambolim, and assistant professor Dr Lalita Fernandes.

The vigilance department will conduct an inquiry against the duo, accused of financial misconduct running into lakhs of rupees, while conducting clinical trials during the last few years.

Both the doctors have been accused of clandestinely conducting dozens of clinical trials on human subjects with sponsorship from international and national pharma companies close to 1 crore.

The issue was also raised in the monsoon session of the legislative assembly in August, after which the government had constituted an internal committee to look into alleged irregularities by the two government doctors.

The committee comprising GMC doctors, in their report submitted to chief secretary R K Srivastava, have allegedly prima facie indicted the two doctors.

The suspended doctors are also accused of conducting clinical trials in government premises without obtaining prior approval of the government, and that of GMC as well.

A complaint was lodged with the chief secretary against the duo, alleging that money, received from pharma companies for doing clinical trials and research, was deposited in their personal bank accounts, and no audit accounts were maintained.

The complainant Sanjay Harmalkar, in his letter, had stated that drug trials were conducted during working hours when doctors are supposed to work full time.

In fact, both doctors allegedly acted in violation of the service rules of the government of Goa, as also Medical council of India (MCI).