Rajindra Hospital may lose its Royal Tag; state medical institutes may go autonomous
KI Singh/ royalpatiala.in/ Patiala
Associations of different employees of Government Medical, Dental, Nursing and Ayurvedic Colleges and Rajindra Hospital in Patiala have out rightly rejected the proposed move of the Punjab Government mooted by Health and Medical Education Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab Dr. KK Talwar to restructure the administrative setup of medical, dental, Ayurvedic and nursing colleges under Government of Punjab at Patiala and Amritsar. Under the proposed new set up, the government run medical, dental, ayurvedic and nursing colleges at Patiala will be governed by an autonomous body under the name Government Institute of Medical Sciences and it will be headed by anon-government person as director who will have complete control of these institutions but will have to generate own resources to run these colleges.
In a joint meeting of the representatives of different associations including medical, dental and ayurvedic college teachers, nurses, para-medical and ministerial staff employees, it was decided to oppose the move being anti-people, anti-patient, anti-student and anti-employees with a strong appeal to Chief Minister Punjab Capt. Amrinder Singh not to take this drastic step which will not only lead to costly medical education but will also result in the rise of the cost of patient treatment as the autonomous body will have to generate its own funds to run its affairs and will have to increase the student fee and patient care charges like in private institutions. This is a step towards privatization of these government run medical, dental, ayurvedic and nursing colleges which are the only hope for poorest and poor patients of the region and the brilliant and poor students.
There is also a strong apprehension that Rajindra Hospital under medical college named after Maharaja Rajinder Singh (forefather of Capt. Amrinder Singh) will also lose its royal tag once controlled by a private and autonomous body and at the same the Punjab Government doctors in PCMS cadre, will not be able to join as medical teachers in medical colleges under promotion quota as the autonomous body will fill the posts of medical teachers directly and possibly by out of state doctors as seen in AIIMS Bathinda recently.
The state government should initiate reforms in medical colleges from the gross root and not from top. The state government cannot suddenly turnaround and make the medical colleges autonomous without involvement of all the stake holders. The state government must release sufficient funds like in PGI Chandigarh and fill the posts lying vacant at all levels. The medical, dental, Ayurvedic and nursing colleges should be given more financial and administrative powers at the local level for quick disposal of the business and fix accountability. We appreciate the reforms in medical education and medical colleges but not in the way these are being proposed.The state government should make improvements in the present set up instead of going for a new exercise.
It was unanimously decided in the meeting to lodge a strong protest with involvement all the employees and students of these institutes in case any such move is done at the government part.
