AIIMS director threatens to quit

The ghost of the reservation agitation has returned to All India

Institute of Medical Sciences with the Director of AIIMS Venugopal, who had been leading the anti-quota agitation, now taking the battle with the government into the open.

He today threatened to quit accusing the Union health minister of interfering in the affairs of the institute and thus harming its autonomy.

Health Minister Anbumani Ramdoss has hit back from Chennai, saying that Venugopal was free to resign if he so wanted. He has also called the AIIMS administration ineffective demanding some drastic changes.

Faculty members in the institute said that the real issue this time was not the autonomy of the institute but his own survival in three posts held by him.

His remarks today threatening to quit following interference from the ministry came after a government order replacing four top officials of the institute without consulting him.

These include the Dean, Sub-Dean, Senior Financial Advisor and the PRO.

Speaking to the press, Venugopal used strong words against the Health Minister, saying it is better to leave than to see the dignity of AIIMS being attacked.

The director's comments came after a meeting between the faculty and students, who are circulating a petition for the removal of the health minister as the President of AIIMS.

They have also urged the removal of the dean who was appointed by Ramadoss during the anti-quota protests.

The students say there has been undue and intentional intervention undermining the prestige and the dignity of the institute by the Health Minister.

They have now appealed to the PM to restore the autonomy of AIIMS, saying the country's premier medical institution should be governed either by the PM or President like many central universities.

Doctors in the institute said that Venugopal had been nursing a grouse against the ministry and government for not letting him continue with the three posts - as head of the department of cardiac surgery, head of CN Centre and director of the institute. He is also facing a case in the High Court for holding a post despite being 64 yeas old.

He was under pressure to quit two of the three posts. He had recently conveyed to the ministry his decision not to give up any of the posts he was holding and had said that he would rather step down.

The reservation agitation followed this tussle between the director and the government, faculty members said. Students and residents were taken for a royal ride by the director who is otherwise known to be inaccessible and autocratic, said new Sub Dean Sunil Chumbal, whose appointment replacing Neerja Batla has become controversial after Venugopal called it government interference.

Chumbal said that his appointment was something he had sought when four months ago Neerja Batla was made sub dean despite his seniority.

"I had challenged it in an oral petition. So I see my appointment justified and not as any interference by the government," he said.

As for the appointment of the new Dean R C Dheka , Chumbal said the appointment order had been there since April and it was gathering dust in the director's office.