[ Sajith M ]

PTI Reports

AIIMS Director Dr P Venugopal was ousted from his post at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on charges of violating the code of conduct after a meeting chaired by Union Health Minister A Ramadoss passed the resolution for his removal.

This is an unfortunate incident - unfortunate for Dr Venugopal and unfortunate for AIIMS as well. A power hungry minister has (mis)used his political power for his vested interests. This was perhaps his answer to a petition filed seeking his removal from the AIIMS governing body. A little background might be in order here:

• Students at AIIMS go on strike following the government decision to bring in the quota raj
• Soon resident doctors at AIIMS also join the stir
• Doctors all over the nation join in, and AIIMS becomes the focal point and the planning ground for anti-quota protestors
• Dr Venugopal who heads AIIMS refuses to adopt draconian methods to quell the protest [This is not liked by Dr Ramadoss whose party supports reservations]
• Dr Ramadoss threatens to bring in 200 OBC doctors from Tamil Nadu to restore normalcy at AIIMS [Note the casteist and regionalist hints here]
• Anyway, the strike gets over after supreme court intervention
• PMK (the party Dr Ramadoss belongs to) demands ouster of Dr Venugopal for having supported the anti-reservation strike.
• Dr Ramadoss says that the AIIMS administration has failed.
• Dr Venugopal is ousted by the AIIMS general body meeting chaired by Dr Ramadoss

It is a humiliation to a person of Venugopal’s repute. It is a shame that he is being meted out this treatment after having spent almost 50 years of his life serving AIIMS and the patients there.

Is the minister acting in the interests of AIIMS or is he pursuing the casteist agenda that his party is following?

Posted under: Thoughts/Politics , Thoughts/Reservation