JJ Hospital ophthalmology department limps back to normalcy

The ophthalmology department of Sir JJ Hospital in Mumbai has appointed Dr Ajay Chandanwale to streamline the department after the resignation of Dr Ragini Parekh and seven honorary doctors. Dr Ravi Chavan has been appointed to take charge of the department, with five candidates shortlisted for honorary posts. The department will also fill four permanent vacant posts, while ophthalmology resident doctors have met with the new HoD to discuss thesis allocation. The resignations followed accusations of a dictatorial management style and a lack of practical surgical experience and research opportunities.

Mumbai: The state medical education department has appointed joint director of medical education and research Dr Ajay Chandanwale to streamline Sir JJ Hospital’s ophthalmology department after it accepted the resignations and voluntary retirement request of Dr Ragini Parekh, head of the ophthalmology department, and seven honorary doctors on Saturday.

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In an order on Saturday, Dr Ravi Chavan, professor of ophthalmology, IGGMC Nagpur, was asked to take charge of JJ ophthalmology department from Monday.

“We conducted interviews for the honorary posts and shortlisted five candidates. We got an overwhelming response as there are many who are ready to join the ophthalmology department. The appointment orders will be released soon,” Dr Chandanwale said.

The shortlisted doctors are from various specialties—retina, oculoplasty, paediatric eye, cornea and lasik surgeon. Sources said 15 applications were received and more interviews will be conducted in the next two days.

According to a source, the call for recruitment began soon after the resignations were accepted. “The order was to replenish the department by Monday. The honorary post recruitment will be done this week and the process to fill the four permanent vacant posts—three associate professors and one lecturer will also begin,” the source added.

While the joint director was busy interviewing candidates for the honorary posts, 15-20 patients were admitted for cataract surgery, which is scheduled for Tuesday.

“OPDs and admission in the department was like any normal day. By next week, with the new honorary doctors joining, the department will run in full swing,” a doctor from the department said.

Meanwhile, ophthalmology resident doctors are happy with the prompt action taken by the government and the administration. “We met the new HoD and he has promised to expedite the thesis allocation. Generally, the thesis topic is allocated in 3-4 months of the first year of residency. But none of us have got the topic even though we are now in second year. Delay in submission of thesis means we have to pay a penalty up to ₹25,000,” another resident doctor said.

On Saturday, the medical education department had also accepted the resignation of the ex-director of medical education and research (DMER) Dr TP Lahane from the post of coordinator of state government’s Preventable Blindness-Free Maharashtra programme along with VRS request of Dr Parekh. The duo, along with seven other honorary consultants had tendered their resignation on May 31 after a slew of accusations against Dr Lahane and Dr Parekh. The resident doctors had accused them of implementing a dictatorial management style, not giving them access to practical surgical experience, and curtailing their academic activity and research opportunities.

HT on May 28 had reported on the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) demanding an inquiry into the allegations made by the resident doctors.

The three-member committee at JJ Hospital, formed last week to look into the allegations, found that the doctors were not trained in basic cataract surgery. It also found that the department had only one unit, which is against the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines.

While a high-level drama went on with Dr Lahane and his team holding a press conference denying the allegations levied against them by the resident doctors and calling it a conspiracy against them, sources at the medical education department said figures of cataract surgeries done in all state medical colleges in the last one year was called.

“With the claims of JJ Hospital’s ophthalmology department doing more cataract surgeries, last one year’s data of all medical colleges were called in. While JJ Hospital conducted 5,052 cataract surgeries between March 2022 and April 2023, GMC Chandrapur conducted 4,822 surgeries during the same period. Even VN Medical College Yavatmal, being in interiors did 4,399 cataract surgeries. A total of 53,850 cataract surgeries were done in 23 medical colleges,” the source said.