The Hindu : National : Venugopal given two weeks to reply to charges

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Thursday, Oct 19, 2006
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Venugopal given two weeks to reply to charges

Aarti Dhar

Photo: Sandeep Saxena

AIIMS director P. Venugopal arriving for the board meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: The Institute Body of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Wednesday charged Director P.Venugopal with discriminating against Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students, financial irregularities, administrative deficiencies and indiscipline. He is to reply to the charges in two weeks.

The meeting, however, did not take up the matter of ``recalling its July 5 resolution and having a fresh look at the functioning of the Institute'' following the Delhi High Court ruling that any decision on Dr. Venugopal's continuance was subject to its final order. The July 5 meeting recommended Dr. Venugopal's removal but the decision was stayed by the court.

Talking to reporters, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said the membersunanimously shared their concern over the issues related to the functioning of the AIIMS including handling of the dengue outbreak.

Deteriorating health care was also discussed. The members agreed to give the charges in writing to Dr. Venugopal. The Institute Body will meet again then.The meeting got off to a stormy start with a member, V.K. Malhotra of the BJP walking out within minutes. He described the meeting as ``illegal, improper, unconstitutional and sub judice.'' It was the Minister's way of humiliating a senior surgeon, he said pointing out that the minutes of the previous meeting made no mention of what happened then. ``The Minister wants to take over the Institute and use it as a tool.''

On Mr. Malhotra's protest, Dr. Ramadoss said it was his decision. The Ministersaid he had no ego problem with anyone and he was only interested in ensuring that the Institute progressed. ``I want to see AIIMS [as] nothing less than Hopkins and Harvard.''

A list of 45 charges handed over to Dr. Venugopal begins with the Institute's failure in tackling dengue, which claimed the life of a seventh semester medical student. He has been asked to specify what action was taken on the 27 notices sent to the AIIMS administration by the New Delhi Municipal Committee on mosquito breeding and the Minister's October 3 letter directing him to investigate the student's death and fix responsibility.

Another charge is "discrimination" of the reserved category students.

The Ministry has already set up a committee under University Grants Commission chairperson S.K.Thorat to look into the allegations.

The meeting sought an explanation on collection of funds by AIIMS for surgeries and angioplasty, C.T., Gamma Knife and neurosurgery procedures.

The amount had been collected as a `fixed package' for procedures done at the CT Centre since 1999 "unauthorisedly".

The amount has now totalled to Rs 40 crores and 104 MPs have written to the Prime Minister on the issue.

The 17-member Institute Body meeting is represented by 15 members.

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