Nov 29: The Resident Doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have once again decided to go on indefinite strike by going against the order of Supreme Court and Delhi High Court from Thursday morning, but this time the strike is against the purposed bill that sets the tenure of Director of the AIIMS thereby questioning the autonomy of the institute.
This time also it’s a part of long dramatic tussle between the Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and the present AIIMS Director P. Venugopal. With personal ego clash between the two high profile personality the premier medical institute of the country has become a battle ground leaving the general public as the sole object of persecution.
In fact the Health Minister in order to sack the director from his post has found an alternative through the AIIMS Amendment Bill 2007. The Minister presented the bill in the Parliament, which the upper house Rajya Sabha passed on Wednesday laying down the exit of Director Venugopal. The bill was earlier approved in Lok Sabha amid protest from opposition.
In fact the bill aims to fix the term of Director of the AIIMS at 5 years with a maximum age limit of 65 years. In addition the bill provides power to health ministry for removing a director with a three months notice. As per the doctors of the institute, the bill is not only a direct attack on Dr Venugopal but also questioning the autonomy of the institute i.e. the major concern of doctor’s community.
Though some section of doctors welcomed the bill but a large number of doctors are against this and hence the Resident Doctor’s Associations (RDA) announced to go on indefinite strike by first preventing service on OPD and if government continues to its stand then the doctors association has also threatened to put a halt to emergency services.
The bill is now in its last phase requiring only President’s stamp before becoming an enforceable law. However, doctors demanded the withdrawal of the bill immediately by the government.
There has been more than one occasion when the Minister and the Director of the institute didn’t hesitate to display their differences openly but this doesn’t seems to be the climax of the year-long battle, as doctors have put their right step forward in protest and safeguarding the independence of the foremost institute.
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Comments:
Sudarshan Kurwadkar
November 30, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Yet another perfect decision by the President of India. Lets not be subjective about the removal of AIIMS Director Venugopal. The fact is he is old and should have retired long ago, so that the research activities at AIIMS could get momentum. It is true that Venugopal was a good surgeon but then we should not be making allowances just because he happened to be efficient in the past. As a Director of the premier (?) institute, he should have spearheaded the institute in addressing core research areas. Instead, he wallowed himself in dirty politics, made political statements that borders on insanity. A person of his stature could have proved his worth by participating in more noble pursuits. According to me he is the only academician who ran into politics thus far. He is shame to both the academic community and to the institute. Academicians are known to pursue bipartisan issues, foster equality among colleagues and encourage everyone to achieve the common goal. He lacks ethics of an academician; he is more suited to politics than academics.
Understanding, Humility, and appreciation of other view are what the academicians are known for. He is an ugly blot on the academician's community. Given his current vocation, I will not be surprised if he decide to jump into election foray. People will say, he is removed primarily because of his animosity with some politicians. Or a pursuit of ulterior motive by some politician has resulted in the ouster of Venugopal. But then at the end of the day, if you continue to do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got. His full time meddling into controversial issues is more akin to a seasoned politician than an excellent academician. If he is ousted, then he deserves it. He created avenues for being personally attacked, he made himself vulnerable by meddling in controversial issues. If you ask yourself, what is his contribution during last two-year, besides fighting cases in High court or Supreme Court? And how, this person is well suited for this position? You will find the answer.
It’s true in democracy; people have free speech and can express their view openly. But then, this freedom comes with a caveat, and a person occupying higher positions such as Director should have known that. His apparent lack of understanding or inherent and deep-rooted prejudice against certain community has led to his ouster. Indian community is very tolerant, had he been an exceptional surgeon, in no time people will come down the street to protect him. A bunch of buffoons, (did I say Munnabhai’s) with political agenda are protesting his removal. Their participation in such protest reflects their shallow understanding of democratic principles on which this great country is built.
Please understand that at no point I have used the word Dr. for Venugopal, because he ceased to be one when he joined politics. Calling Dr. to someone is an honor bestowed upon an individual because he/she is considered worthy of such honor. Venugopal ceased to be an excellent surgeon long ago, he is now a seasoned politician, who understand the minor nuances of politics. If he considers himself to be one of the best surgeons then there is no better time to prove than now. Let him be an excellent surgeon and the world community will condemn the politicians for showing disrespect to this so-called genius!
Goodbye Venugopal!