New age limit for department head has MAMC in trouble

Many colleges under the Union Ministry,like Lady Hardinge Medical College,have already implemented the order.

In the first week of May,MAMC’s college council held a meeting of all HoDs of its associated hospitals — Lok Nayak,GB Pant and Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya — on the issue.

Sources said authorities are upset as at least five HoD posts,including HoD of ENT and Dean of MAMC Dr A K Aggarwal,will lose their posts immediately if the order is implemented.

The number would go up to a dozen in the next two years. The departments that would be affected include anatomy,physiology,surgery,neurology,neurosurgery,gastroenterology,forensic medicine,cardiology and pediatrics.

A four-member committee,including HoD of Surgery Dr V K Ramteke,HoD of Pediatrics Dr A B Dubey and HoD of Anatomy Dr J M Kaul,was set up by the dean to look into “the legitimate concerns of the doctors”.

The committee circulated a representation to be signed by all HoDs,including those below the age of 62,and it was forwarded to the Health Secretary last week. “Our representation was based on the premise that headship could not be considered to be an administrative post alone,since doctors at this post also helmed the research and clinical activities of their departments. They are also the senior-most by virtue of the number of years in the institution and it would be a setback to demote them,by this order,” an HoD who signed the representation told Newsline.

A few HoDs who will not be affected by this order claim there was “moral pressure” to sign the representation.

“The college council wanted to show the entire college was united on this. But like the Valiathan Committee’s recommendation for AIIMS,why should MAMC not have rotating headship? Why should a single professor head the department till his retirement? This leads to corruption in the institute,” said an HoD.

Dean Dr Aggarwal said the decision had been “an administrative one”. “We will be aiming at uniformity,that is all I can say now. I cannot comment any further on this,” he said.