‘Flurry of changes after Mushrif became medical education minister’

Dr. Pallavi Saple has been relieved of her additional charge as the administrator of the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) and Dr. Deepak Mhaisekar has been appointed to take over. The delay in MMC elections is due to the need to amend the rules.

MUMBAI: The state medical education department on Wednesday relieved Dr Pallavi Saple of her additional charge as Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) administrator and asked medical education director Dr Deepak Mhaisekar to take over. The notification issued by Vaishali Sule, deputy secretary of the department, said that Dr Saple’s term had ended on October 9. It also stated that there would be a delay in MMC elections since it would take time to amend the rules.

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Suhas Pingle, a former MMC member, said that after the NCP joined the government, the minister for medical education changed and Hasan Mushrif of the NCP took over from the BJP’s Girish Mahajan. “In September, Ashwini Joshi was transferred to the BMC,” he said. Dr Joshi headed the medical education department as secretary, and had taken action against irregularities many times in the past.

Pingle said that the slew of changes continued. “On October 26, Sanjay Deshmukh, the registrar of the MMC, was relieved of his charge and sent back to his original department in the Maharashtra University of Medical Sciences,” he said. “On October 30, Dr Mhaisekar, who is director of medical education, got additional charge of MMC. The administrator is the council by himself in the absence of an elected body, while Shilpa Parab, who is the registrar of the state dental council, got additional charge of MMC. She has also been appointed returning officer for the forthcoming MMC elections. As per the MMC act, the returning officer has to be an officer of undersecretary rank. The entire chronology of events suggests that there is something more to it than meets the eye.”

When questioned, Mushrif said that Saple had two heavy responsibilities as J J Hospital dean and MMC administrator. “Her term was over, and I had to appoint someone, hence Mhaisekar was appointed,” he said. “We will make a regular appointment in 15 days.”