New Delhi: Amid a debate on the exodus of
senior doctors from AIIMS, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi
Azad will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on February 19
during which he is expected to brief him about modernisation
of the premier medical institute.
Health Ministry sources said Azad will make a
presentation before the Prime Minister on the Valiathan
committee report, which speaks about the proposed
modernisation plans of the AIIMS.
At least 10 senior AIIMS doctors have resigned over the
last one year to take up posts in private medical institutes.
Prominent among them are head of neurosurgery V S Mehta,
Prof of medicine Anoop Misra and head of surgery S N Mehta.
Last month, professor and Head of Urology Dr N P Gupta
resigned from AIIMS to move to a private hospital. Gupta had
in September 2007 led the team that operated upon Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh for his enlarged prostate.
AIIMS officials confirm that others like Dr Ashok Kumar,
head of Department of Rheumatology, Dr Rohini Handa, professor
of medicine, and Dr Sumit Singh, associate professor in the
Department of Neurology also put in their papers to join
private hospitals.
AIIMS Director R C Deka, however, remains unfazed over
the issue. "Five to 10 per cent will leave from any
organisation because of better opportunity," he said.
"They have all put in more than 20 years in service. They
have served the public. They are getting higher salaries in
the corporate sector," he added.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 09, 2010, 18:13