The Hindu : Other States / Pondicherry News : Move to make JIPMER an autonomous institution opposed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 14, 2005

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Other States - Pondicherry

Move to make JIPMER an autonomous institution opposed

By Our Staff Reporter

PONDICHERRY, FEB. 13. The general secretary of the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) Thol Thirumavalavan, has appealed to the Pondicherry Administration to intervene so that the Centre does not go ahead with its move to convert the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) here into an autonomous institution.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy, here recently Mr. Thirumavalavan registered the DPI's protest. (The college-cum-hospital has been functioning under the administrative control of the Directorate General of Health Services, New Delhi, since its inception in 1964 and political parties fear that the Centre's move to make JIPMER an autonomous institution would deprive the poor of free treatment in the hospital.

The president of the Pondicherry unit of the Janata Dal (Secular) E. Ganesan, said his party opposed the move.

The JIPMER hospital had been treating the poor hailing from Pondicherry and from other districts of Tamil Nadu and other States for free.

Students getting admission into the MBBS course through an entrance test also benefited as the selection of candidates was done on an all India basis by the Centre.

Students did not incur heavy expenditure to study in the institute.

The Centre made a move about eight years back to make the JIPMER an autonomous institution. Mr. Ganesan said that the plan was abandoned due to protests from all quarters.

Mr. Ganesan said that the Union Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, was urged during his visit to JIPMER about a year back to ensure that more seats were available in the institute.

Recently, the National Education Board Chairman, Dr. Rajasekaran, had at a function in JIPMER said that the Centre proposed to make it an autonomous institution.

Appeal to CM

Mr. Ganesan appealed to the Pondicherry Chief Minister, the two Members of Parliament from here, V. Narayanasamy (Congress) and M. Ramadass (Pattali Makkal Katchi) and also the Pondicherry Administration to intervene.

Mr. Ganesan said that the Centre should concentrate on enhancing the financial facility to JIPMER for its development and expansion.

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