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Journalism of Courage
The AIIMS institute and general bodies, the two top decision-making bodies at the hospital, have cleared the ongoing recruitment of 148 assistant professors in their meetings on Monday, but decided that appointment letters for the selected candidates will only be issued after May 16, when the new government is formed.
Political opponents of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is the president of the former and chairs the latter, and a section of the faculty had been protesting against the appointments since the model code of conduct was in force, and alleged that the reservation roster of the institute was not following mandatory government rules.
BJP’s Udit Raj and Bhim Singh from the Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party and a section of doctors, under the banner of Forum for Rights and Equality, had been protesting against the scheduling of the meeting just days before the announcement of the Lok Sabha election results, and the “moral authority” of the health minister to take decisions over these issues. A section of the faculty had also protested over the suggestion to increase the retirement age of doctors.
Sources confirmed that the AIIMS administration was also asked to specify the administrative reasons, which they had cited for the delay in circulation of the minutes of the last institute body meeting, raised by some members, over the process adopted by the standing search and selection committee on the appointment of the new director.
Sources confirmed that after protests erupted over the authority of the institute body to examine a report submitted by a high powered committee to identify doctors who participated in the anti quota agitation of AIIMS, the item was taken off the agenda for the meeting.
