OPD services at Bathinda AIIMS hit as PG students hold protest

The first batch of 44 PG students, who are enrolled for three courses this year, demanded the AIIMS administration should give in writing that they would get only academic certificates. A protesting student said the college dean sent an email on Thursday sharing the body’s decision to grant a non-academic degree to them

BATHINDA: The outdoor patient department (OPD) services at Bathinda AIIMS were partially affected on Saturday after postgraduate (PG) students staged a protest against the governing body’s decision to change the nomenclature of their degrees.

The outdoor patient department (OPD) services at Bathinda AIIMS were partially affected on Saturday after postgraduate (PG) students staged a protest against the governing body’s decision to change the nomenclature of their degrees.

The first batch of 44 PG students, who are enrolled for three courses this year, demanded the AIIMS administration should give in writing that they would get only academic certificates. A protesting student said the college dean sent an email on Thursday sharing the body’s decision to grant a non-academic degree to them.

The governing body (GB), the highest decision-making panel, held its first meeting on March 30 where its president Prof SC Sharma lamented AIIMS Bathinda for rolling out the PG courses without following due procedure.

“The president objected to starting of PG courses without the approval of minutes of academic committee by the governing body. This is not desirable to start it without functional departments with the indoor patient departments (IPD) and operation theatres (OTs). It was decided by the governing body that the PG (students) selected can meanwhile work as non-academic junior residents (JRs),” reads the body’s minutes of the meeting.

“Efforts should be made to start IPD and OT at the earliest so that proper training of postgraduates can be started,” it further added.

Students said the changed nomenclature is unacceptable as they all cleared the national-level entrance test for specialisation in their respective fields.

“Today we have boycotted all non-essential medical services as the college administration is not giving us a written assurance. We joined the institute in January but the authorities are now claiming the commencement of the batch from March. College authorities owe an explanation why the ill-equipped institute admitted students for PG courses and delay in sharing governing body’s decision,” said another student.

AIIMS dean Prof Satish Gupta said there was a technical glitch but students would only get academic degrees without any change in the procedure. “We were hoping to get possession of IPD and OT complexes by January this year but the construction agency delayed handing over the buildings. While we did not have the buildings at the time of preparing the meeting agenda, PG students were exposed to the functional IPD and OT services on the campus,” said Gupta.

IPD and OTs blocks were handed over to AIIMS about two months ago and the institute now fulfils all prerequisite requirements, he added.

“The next governing body’s meeting is being called at the earliest to end the confusion. They were demanding written assurance but I am not the competent authority. AIIMS director would be available on Monday and students’ meeting will be arranged to end the stalemate,” added the dean.