PATNA, July 3 -- The Bihar health department has overlooked the seniority of doctors while giving additional charge of principal, Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), to Dr Kaushal Kishore, professor and head, department of medicine, following the superannuation of principal Dr Vidyapati Chaudhary on July 31, said officials on Wednesday. In doing so, the health department has handed out a raw deal to Dr Narendra Pratap Singh, professor and head, department of psychiatry, PMCH, the seniormost professor in medical education in the state, who has been transferred as director-in-chief, mental health, in the disaster management wing of the department of health. Dr Kishore, who superannuates on January 31 next year, has been preferred over Dr Singh, who has a longer tenure and retires on December 31, 2026. Dr Kishore has been given additional charge of principal, with full financial powers. The health department issued the two notifications - one notifying the additional charge of PMCH principal to Dr Kishore and another transferring Dr Singh as the director-in-chief, mental health, on June 30. The two notifications were, however, uploaded on its website on July 1. By transferring Dr Singh as director-in-chief in the health department, an ex-cadre post, the Bihar government has taken him out of the medical education wing, his primary cadre. Dr Singh has represented the health department against his transfer order, said people familiar with the matter. Efforts to contact Dr Singh proved futile as he did not respond to phone calls. Earlier, in September 2018, Dr Singh had a rub-off with Sanjay Kumar, the then principal secretary, health, over being inappropriately dressed when he went to meet the officer in his office chamber....