The top health official at the US department of veterans affairs resigned on Friday amid a scandal over allegations of fatal healthcare delays, but critics dismissed the gesture as “damage control” because he had planned to retire this year anyway.

Veterans affairs secretary Eric Shinseki said he accepted the resignation of Dr Robert Petzel, undersecretary for health, but Republican officials quickly pointed out that Dr Petzel’s retirement had been announced in September – to take effect this year.

The allegations that delays in treatment at veterans’ hospitals could have led to otherwise preventable deaths has sparked a growing political scandal. But Dr Petzel’s resignation appeared unlikely to calm the anger.

At first glance it would seem to be the initial scalp offered by the Obama administration to mollify lawmakers and other critics who have ratcheted up attacks on the department as more evidence surfaced that employees at medical centres around the country kept waiting lists secret, or otherwise sought to hide how long veterans had to wait to see doctors.

Dr Sam Foote, a whistleblower in the case, said on Fox News Sunday that Dr Petzel’s resignation was “a great first step” but that there was no way officials in Washington did not know of the issue.

More than 10 million veterans are covered by the public healthcare system, which has been strained by the admission of two million new patients since 2009 following the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, recognition of new post-traumatic stress cases and Agent Orange victims from the Vietnam war.

– (Agencies)