Chandigarh: Dr. Raj Bahadur, Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid Medical University of Health Sciences in Punjab returned his vehicle and gunman to the state government on Thursday.
After an incident that happened on July 30, the vice-chancellor Raj Bahadur of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) who was forced to lay on a dirty mattress during an inspection by the AAP Punjab Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra due to which he quit the job and said he had conveyed the same to the Punjab chief minister and requested to him to relieve him from services at the earliest.
Bahadur had said, "I have expressed my anguish to the chief minister and said to him that I felt humiliated." It has been almost 6 days since the resignation of Raj Bahadur but no decision has been taken by the government yet.
According to Punjab Civil Medical Service (PCMS) sources, about 50 doctors have left their jobs in the last 4 months which is very shocking because all this happened during the tenure of the Aam Aadmi Party. The Principal of Government Medical College Amritsar, Dr. Rajeev Devgan, and Guru Nanak Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr. KD Singh tendered their resignations.
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However, the reason for resigning is said to be personal. On the other hand, VRS was sought by Dr. Maninder Kaur, SMO of Kharar Hospital after Health Minister Jodamajra reprimanded him and transferred him from Kharar to Dhanula in Barnala. She is the sister-in-law of former CM Charanjit Channi. Apart from him, Specialist Dr. Sukhwinder Deol has also sought VRS.
He was transferred to SMO from Bassi Pathana Health Center to Kharar Hospital. Apart from him, the surgeon Dr. Naresh Chauhan, and ENT Specialist Dr. Sandeep Singh are also leaving the job. Earlier, Dr. Rajiv Devgan, Principal of Amritsar Medical College, Vice Principal Dr. Kular Singh, and Medical Superintendent Dr. KD Singh also resigned. After the VC dispute, CM Bhagwant Mann advised the MLAs.
When Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was asked about the incident on the sidelines of an event here, he said such "talkhiyan" (bitter situations) do emerge during work and added, "I feel the situation could have been handled in a better manner." The incident triggered an outrage and opposition parties and various doctors' bodies, including the Indian Medical Association (IMA), strongly condemned the health minister's behavior and demanded his apology.
Earlier in the day, Dr Bahadur interacted with reporters in Mohali and said Chief Minister Mann had expressed regret over the behavior of his minister. The doctor also broke down in tears when state Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring came to meet him to express solidarity. Sources said that the chief minister has taken a strong view of the incident and spoken to Jouramajra. Mann is also learned to have asked Bahadur to continue in the position and meet him next week.
A video clip of the incident that circulated on social media showed Jouramajra placing a hand on the veteran surgeon's shoulder as he pointed toward the "damaged and dirty condition" of the mattress inside the hospital's skin department. The minister is then seen to be allegedly forcing Dr Bahadur to lie down on the same mattress. Bahadur in the video is seen explaining to the minister that he was not responsible for the facilities, to which the AAP leader retorted, "Everything is in your hands."
Bahadur said, " I felt humiliated after the minister's behavior." Congress' Warring met Bahadur at the Regional Spinal Centre in Mohali to express solidarity and support to him and said he salutes the spirit of the doctor who had dedicated himself to the service of the people. After this incident, the IMA demanded the minister's unconditional apology and resignation for his "misbehavior" and appealed to Punjab's chief minister to immediately take necessary action against him.
The PCMS Association, a doctors' body in Punjab, strongly condemned the "unceremonious treatment" meted out to Dr Bahadur. The body expressed its "deep resentment" over the incident and said, "public shaming of a senior doctor on systemic issues is strongly condemnable." The Indian Orthopaedic Association in a statement said the derogatory behavior of the minister with a man at the highest pedestal of academics "makes us feel that we are being ruled by a Taliban state".
Also Read: Punjab health minister under fire for forcing surgeon to lie down on dirty mattress
Opposition parties also hit out at the AAP dispensation over the incident. Former chief minister Amarinder Singh tweeted, "Outrageous & atrocious behavior of Punjab Health Minister Chetan Jouramajra is unacceptable. Not only should he apologize to Dr. Raj Bahadur a distinguished doctor, but he should also be sacked immediately. This is a test case for @BhagwantMann to restore the confidence of the medical community."
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal called out the minister for "reprehensible behavior." BJP leader Sunil Jakhar said the treatment meted out to the distinguished doctor is shameful and totally unacceptable.
