The resignation of the director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal, Dr Sandeep Kumar, has been accepted by the Union health ministry, which also relieved him with immediate effect, official sources said here.
Dr Sudhanshu Shekhar Mishra, head of the physiology department at AIIMS Bhopal and the senior-most faculty member, is the frontrunner to replace Dr Kumar, the sources said.
In November last year, Dr Kumar had revealed that he had resigned and was on a three-month notice.
His resignation came after a central inquiry was initiated into the allegations of irregularities at the institute.
Dr Kumar had joined AIIMS Bhopal in 2012.
Prior to this, he was head of the breast surgery department at King George’s Medical College, Lucknow.
On the AIIMS campus, rumours were afloat that Dr Kumar had been asked to step down following several controversies and allegations of irregularities that bogged down the premier institute for some time in the past.
However, when HT contacted Dr Sandeep Kumar, he said that such rumours were the handiwork of those officials on the campus who were themselves corrupt.
“They are trying to malign me to cover their own misdeeds. The CBI inquiry is a routine inquiry into the appointments in all the six AIIMS and some other investigations were started at my behest to uncover what was happening on the campus. I have worked honestly and ensured that the new director gets more powers,” he said.
However, when HT contacted Dr Sandeep Kumar, he said that such rumours were the handiwork of those officials on the campus who were themselves corrupt.
“They are trying to malign me to cover their own misdeeds. The CBI inquiry is a routine inquiry into the appointments in all the six AIIMS and some other investigations were started at my behest to uncover what was happening on the campus. I have worked honestly and ensured that the new director gets more powers,” he said.
The CBI is probing into alleged irregularities in the appointments made under the central Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) at AIIMS Bhopal and five other new AIIMS.