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In the most brazen transgression of Constitutional norms, Health Minister
Anbumani Ramdoss humiliated All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
Director and preeminent cardiologist Dr. Venugopal with a dismissal on
fictitious charges. The 1200 resident doctors went on strike demanding the
removal of Ramdoss and inconveniencing patients in need of care. The AIIMS
Faculty Association of AIIMS (FAIMS) has also gone on strike to support
Venugopal who is a national icon of the medical community and winner of
international and national awards. The AIIMS has been totally shut down with
Casualty and closed Out Patient Department (OPD) and only Intensive Care Unit
(ICU) and Coronary Care Unit will work. Citing the support of 5 democratically
elected organizations within the Institute, resident doctors say that
Scientists, staff, and students of the Institute support Venugopal and gone on
strike. Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) joined the strike while University
College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) has called for a general body meeting to
decide their course of action. GSVM Medical College at Kanpur, an autonomous
institute, was the first to write in support for Venugopal but other such
institutes seem to be joining in.
Convening a special meeting of AIIMS 17-member board chaired by Ramdoss and
stuffed with cronies including the father-in-law of his sister, Venugopal was
asked to wait outside in a dingy corridor while the board deliberated his
performance. At the end of a meeting, Ramdoss announced the “termination of his
term.” There were three dissenters who opposed the move.
Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) V.K. Malhotra who is a board
member voting against the motion criticized the manner in which an eminent
heart surgeon was humiliated. Malhotra claims that everyone on the board,
except one member from Tamil Nadu, opposed the process but Ramdoss went ahead
with his dictatorial ways. Malhotra said that Ramdoss refused to listen to
other members of the board who asked him to give Venugopal an opportunity to
respond. Ramdoss concluded that Venugopal be removed for “violating the code of
conduct.”
Malhotra alleged that “Ramdoss repeatedly said that he had the sanction of the
highest authority and used the Prime Minister's name to bully and browbeat
other members.” Malhotra also accused Ramdoss of deliberately and methodically
destroying the autonomy of all institutes. However, he said that this move was
draconian and that he would raise the issue in Parliament. He also said that
Ramdoss plans to install the Health Secretary P K Hota and not another senior
doctor as Director of AIIMS. However, Hota seems to have declined the position
for unknown reasons.
At the meeting, Ramdoss included a non-agenda item claiming to have the
authority to do so. That was the issue of “misgovernance (sic) of AIIMS.”
Reportedly, three members including Malhotra, Delhi University Vice-Chancellor
Deepak Pental, and Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow Director Dr SS
Aggarwal criticized the Government’s interference in the operations of the
Institute but recommended peace between the Minister and the Director. The
three members who spoke are non-official and the rest were apparently
Government representatives beholden to the Government and fearful of
retribution if should disagree. However, the Ramdoss cut short discussion to
pilot a resolution with only a voice vote because a recorded division could
embarrass the Government. At a press conference, Ramdoss denied any personal
vendetta but refused to divulge information leading to the humiliating
dismissal of Venugopal since this was a “privileged information” that he
“cannot divulge” at “this point in time.”
The communists have broken ranks with Ramdoss, condemned Venugopal’s removal,
and demanded United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s
intervention. Communists say that they disapprove the government’s unnecessary
meddling in the functioning of the premier institute.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) also criticized Venugopal's removal saying
“It is a very, very unfortunate decision. It is a reflection that we are losing
the autonomy of premier institutes and medical health services in the country.”
The IMA has requested the intervention of the President and Prime Minister.
The genesis of the feud between Ramdoss and Venugopal was during the
anti-quota protests by doctors that paralyzed AIIMS for nearly 20 days. At that
time, the Ramdoss asked Venugopal to sack the striking employees or to take
stern action. When Venugopal did not comply, Ramdoss accused Venugopal of
instigating the protestors and said the AIIMS administration has become
“ineffective.” Venugopal claims that Ramdoss was interfering in the functioning
of the institute.
Meanwhile, several doctors of the AIIMS have sued the Government to dissolve
the governing body in the Delhi High Court. The court has asked all parties to
respond. The AIIMS Act bars the Health Minister and his Secretary from being on
the governing body. In 1996, a Rajya Sabha Committee recommended
discontinuation of the practice of nominating the Health Minister and the
Health Secretary to the Institute's governing body, saying that it would affect
its autonomy and convert it into a government department.
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