Oppn demands inquiry into Lahane episode; govt says he requested to accept resignation

Speaking during the question hour in the lower house, Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar said that Dr Lahane was known for his service to society as well as his dedication towards work and he resigned due to the protest against the irregularities in the hospital

Mumbai: While the opposition legislators backed the former JJ hospital dean TP Lahane and other honorary doctors who recently resigned from their posts, the state government said that they accepted their resignations as the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) staged protests against Lahane and company.

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Speaking during the question hour in the lower house, Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar said that Dr Lahane was known for his service to society as well as his dedication towards work and he resigned due to the protest against the irregularities in the hospital. He demanded an inquiry into the entire episode. Supporting it, Nationalist Congress Party leader Anil Deshmukh said, “The resignations by Lahane and other doctors were out of frustration due to the politics and insults they were meted to in the hospital.”

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Yogesh Sagar however pointed at the allegations levelled by the MARD doctors against Dr Lahane and others. “No doubt, he was a fine doctor, but at the same time, he was facing the allegations that he did not allow resident doctors to perform surgeries. How can we expect fine hands to come out of the medical college if they were not given the opportunity,” he questioned.

Medical education minister Hasan Mushrif said, “It is true that MARD doctors went on strike protesting against Dr Lahane. He submitted his resignation three months before the completion of his term. On his repeated requests we accepted the resignation.”