12-01-2007, 02:14 AM
<!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Shotgun Murugan Ramadoss sacks Venugopal </b> <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Pioneer.com
Durgesh Nandan Jha/ PNS | New Delhi
...appoints Dogra acting AIIMS Director
Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday removed AIIMS Director P Venugopal within hours after President Pratibha Patil signed the controversial AIIMS Amendment Bill. TD Dogra (Head of the Forensic Sciences and Toxicology department) has been asked to take over as acting Director in place of Venugopal. Â
In a dramatic development on Friday evening, the Government notified the AIIMS and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (Amendment) Act 2007 as soon as the President gave her assent to the controversial Bill.
In its undue hurry, the Government even bypassed the Institute Body meeting, which is mandatory under the AIIMS Act 1956.
The controversial Bill disqualifying Venugopal to continue as AIIMS Director got presidential assent on Friday giving Supreme Court the necessary ground to hear two petitions challenging the validity of the said law on Monday.
With time being a constraint for Venugopal and Ramadoss, high drama prevailed in Supreme Court as Venugopal made an urgent mention of his petition challenging the validity of the AIIMS and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (Amendment) Act 2007.
The proposed amendment fixes the age of AIIMS Director at 65 years, targeting Venugopal, who has surpassed this age.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi appearing for the eminent cardiac surgeon pleaded before the Bench headed by the Chief Justice to urgently hear the matter. The situation resulted after a Bench headed by Justice GP Mathur removed the matter listed for mentioning in his court.
Providing reason for urgency, Rohtagi said, "In view of the dispute between the Health Minister and AIIMS Director, the AIIMS Act is being amended to suggest the Director will cease to stay the moment the Bill is signed."
Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan without going into the merits of the case allowed the petition to be listed on the next working day. On further request, the court allowed to post the matter in the regular hearing list.
<b>Venugopal's term as Director AIIMS ends on July 3, 2008 as his appointment letter gives him a full five-year term beginning in July 2003. But the trouble for the veteran doctor began when Ramadoss, in the capacity as President AIIMS Institute Body, passed a resolution to remove him. The Delhi High Court stayed the order of his removal and allowed him a permanent term.</b>
The order of the Delhi High Court passed on March 29, 2007 is currently under challenge in the Supreme Court, which has refused to lift the stay granted by the high court.
Citing this in his defence, Venugopal, in his fresh petition, has challenged the validity of the amended Act, which amounts to overreaching a judicial decision.
By fixing an upper age limit for the Director, the quality of AIIMS would be compromised since the original Act intends candidates/teachers from other reputed institutes to join after their superannuation, he contended.
<b>In Venugopal's support, the Faculty Association of AIIMS (FAAIIMS) has filed another petition supporting the Director's cause and alleging increased interference by the Minister, contrary to the autonomous constitution of AIIMS.</b>
The FAAIIMS petition also to be heard on Monday has further sought implementation of the Valiathan Committee Report tabled in October 2006 which categorically recommended an apolitical Institute Body with no role whatsoever to the Health Minister and Health Secretary in it.
According to sources, Venugopal is the first on the block in Ramadoss's scheme of things. The Minister is all set to target the newly-appointed acting Director Dogra and Dr AK Bisoi (senior cardiologist) in the Institute Body meeting to be held on December 7. The agenda of the Institute Body meeting includes the status of disciplinary actions taken against Dogra who was suspended for overruling the orders of the institute president -- Ramadoss and Bisoi who was suspended after being found guilty of medical negligence by a committee formed by him. Both later took stay from the High Court.
"The agenda of the Institute Body meeting includes old issues. This comprises the suspension orders of Dogra and Bisoi," confirmed DS Murthy, Officer on Special Duty, Ramadoss. According to sources, the Minister and Institute Body members might grill him on the suspension orders. Also, Dogra's functioning, as the Dean of Examination of AIIMS would be challenged and some other faculty member would be given the job. ."The Minister would also make sure that the reinstatement orders of the Registrar VP Gupta is followed at the earliest possible. Venugopal had appointed AIIMS faculty member, Sandeep Agarwal, as the Acting Registrar of the institute," said the source. The functioning of Dogra as the Dean of Examination and Agarwal as the Registrar of the institute was the main reason behind Ramadoss' dilly-dallying in the issue of signing of degree certificates. The agenda of the meeting -- Governing Body as well as Institute Body meeting -- also includes discussion on the report submitted by the SK Thorat Committee and delegation of powers to the recently-appointed Deputy Director, Sailesh Yadav.
Meanwhile, the decision of AIIMS doctors to run the Out Patient Department (OPD) services for longer hours on Friday came as a boon for the patients. Long queues of patients were seen at various OPD counters till late in the evening. Apart from working till 8 pm -- eight hours extra -- the doctors also took out a candlelight march at the institute to protest against AIIMS Amendment Bill 2007. The OPDs would run till late on Saturday.
"I have come to AIIMS to show my child in the emergency ward. But when I came to know that the OPDs were running, I directly went to the ENT section and got him treated within hours. I wish the doctors can make the same kind of arrangement even under normal circumstances," said Pradeep Kumar Yadav, whose four-year-old son was suffering from acute pain in ears. Like Yadav, there were many patients happy to see the changed schedule, though temporary. The doctors working in emergency block said that the move helped them too. "Usually, we used to have heavy workload, especially on Fridays. Sometimes, even not-so-serious patients had to be treated, as there were two holidays ahead. People do not want to wait till Monday. The OPD services till late ensured that such patients get treatment at the OPDs itself," said Nitin Kumar, a resident doctor. Senior faculty members of the institute were also seeing patients.
At around 8 pm, some the resident doctors as well as faculty members of the institute also took out candlelight march as a mark of protest. "The extra work and candlelight march is to show our dissent against the Bill. Though the Bill has been signed by the President, we are hoping that we would get relief from the Supreme Court that would be hearing the matter on Monday," said Dr Kumar Harsh, President Resident Doctors' Association (RDA).Â
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
We need three icon/smilies, Donkey to represent Indian political leaders, Hitler face to represent Congress Party and chor representing Babus.
Pioneer.com
Durgesh Nandan Jha/ PNS | New Delhi
...appoints Dogra acting AIIMS Director
Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday removed AIIMS Director P Venugopal within hours after President Pratibha Patil signed the controversial AIIMS Amendment Bill. TD Dogra (Head of the Forensic Sciences and Toxicology department) has been asked to take over as acting Director in place of Venugopal. Â
In a dramatic development on Friday evening, the Government notified the AIIMS and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (Amendment) Act 2007 as soon as the President gave her assent to the controversial Bill.
In its undue hurry, the Government even bypassed the Institute Body meeting, which is mandatory under the AIIMS Act 1956.
The controversial Bill disqualifying Venugopal to continue as AIIMS Director got presidential assent on Friday giving Supreme Court the necessary ground to hear two petitions challenging the validity of the said law on Monday.
With time being a constraint for Venugopal and Ramadoss, high drama prevailed in Supreme Court as Venugopal made an urgent mention of his petition challenging the validity of the AIIMS and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (Amendment) Act 2007.
The proposed amendment fixes the age of AIIMS Director at 65 years, targeting Venugopal, who has surpassed this age.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi appearing for the eminent cardiac surgeon pleaded before the Bench headed by the Chief Justice to urgently hear the matter. The situation resulted after a Bench headed by Justice GP Mathur removed the matter listed for mentioning in his court.
Providing reason for urgency, Rohtagi said, "In view of the dispute between the Health Minister and AIIMS Director, the AIIMS Act is being amended to suggest the Director will cease to stay the moment the Bill is signed."
Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan without going into the merits of the case allowed the petition to be listed on the next working day. On further request, the court allowed to post the matter in the regular hearing list.
<b>Venugopal's term as Director AIIMS ends on July 3, 2008 as his appointment letter gives him a full five-year term beginning in July 2003. But the trouble for the veteran doctor began when Ramadoss, in the capacity as President AIIMS Institute Body, passed a resolution to remove him. The Delhi High Court stayed the order of his removal and allowed him a permanent term.</b>
The order of the Delhi High Court passed on March 29, 2007 is currently under challenge in the Supreme Court, which has refused to lift the stay granted by the high court.
Citing this in his defence, Venugopal, in his fresh petition, has challenged the validity of the amended Act, which amounts to overreaching a judicial decision.
By fixing an upper age limit for the Director, the quality of AIIMS would be compromised since the original Act intends candidates/teachers from other reputed institutes to join after their superannuation, he contended.
<b>In Venugopal's support, the Faculty Association of AIIMS (FAAIIMS) has filed another petition supporting the Director's cause and alleging increased interference by the Minister, contrary to the autonomous constitution of AIIMS.</b>
The FAAIIMS petition also to be heard on Monday has further sought implementation of the Valiathan Committee Report tabled in October 2006 which categorically recommended an apolitical Institute Body with no role whatsoever to the Health Minister and Health Secretary in it.
According to sources, Venugopal is the first on the block in Ramadoss's scheme of things. The Minister is all set to target the newly-appointed acting Director Dogra and Dr AK Bisoi (senior cardiologist) in the Institute Body meeting to be held on December 7. The agenda of the Institute Body meeting includes the status of disciplinary actions taken against Dogra who was suspended for overruling the orders of the institute president -- Ramadoss and Bisoi who was suspended after being found guilty of medical negligence by a committee formed by him. Both later took stay from the High Court.
"The agenda of the Institute Body meeting includes old issues. This comprises the suspension orders of Dogra and Bisoi," confirmed DS Murthy, Officer on Special Duty, Ramadoss. According to sources, the Minister and Institute Body members might grill him on the suspension orders. Also, Dogra's functioning, as the Dean of Examination of AIIMS would be challenged and some other faculty member would be given the job. ."The Minister would also make sure that the reinstatement orders of the Registrar VP Gupta is followed at the earliest possible. Venugopal had appointed AIIMS faculty member, Sandeep Agarwal, as the Acting Registrar of the institute," said the source. The functioning of Dogra as the Dean of Examination and Agarwal as the Registrar of the institute was the main reason behind Ramadoss' dilly-dallying in the issue of signing of degree certificates. The agenda of the meeting -- Governing Body as well as Institute Body meeting -- also includes discussion on the report submitted by the SK Thorat Committee and delegation of powers to the recently-appointed Deputy Director, Sailesh Yadav.
Meanwhile, the decision of AIIMS doctors to run the Out Patient Department (OPD) services for longer hours on Friday came as a boon for the patients. Long queues of patients were seen at various OPD counters till late in the evening. Apart from working till 8 pm -- eight hours extra -- the doctors also took out a candlelight march at the institute to protest against AIIMS Amendment Bill 2007. The OPDs would run till late on Saturday.
"I have come to AIIMS to show my child in the emergency ward. But when I came to know that the OPDs were running, I directly went to the ENT section and got him treated within hours. I wish the doctors can make the same kind of arrangement even under normal circumstances," said Pradeep Kumar Yadav, whose four-year-old son was suffering from acute pain in ears. Like Yadav, there were many patients happy to see the changed schedule, though temporary. The doctors working in emergency block said that the move helped them too. "Usually, we used to have heavy workload, especially on Fridays. Sometimes, even not-so-serious patients had to be treated, as there were two holidays ahead. People do not want to wait till Monday. The OPD services till late ensured that such patients get treatment at the OPDs itself," said Nitin Kumar, a resident doctor. Senior faculty members of the institute were also seeing patients.
At around 8 pm, some the resident doctors as well as faculty members of the institute also took out candlelight march as a mark of protest. "The extra work and candlelight march is to show our dissent against the Bill. Though the Bill has been signed by the President, we are hoping that we would get relief from the Supreme Court that would be hearing the matter on Monday," said Dr Kumar Harsh, President Resident Doctors' Association (RDA).Â
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
We need three icon/smilies, Donkey to represent Indian political leaders, Hitler face to represent Congress Party and chor representing Babus.