AIIMS docs busy squabbling

Internal fissures and infighting have reportedly plagued the country's premier hospital AIIMS which receives more than 10,000 patient footfalls every day. Jaya Shroff Bhalla reports.

Internal fissures and infighting have reportedly plagued the country's premier hospital AIIMS which receives more than 10,000 patient footfalls every day.

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Senior faculty members at the laboratory medicine department at AIIMS are involved in skirmishes revealed complaint letters written to the administrative officials.

In a March 2011 incident, Dr M Irshad offended the department head Dr AK Mukhopadhyay, when he said, "I will hold you by your ears and throw you out," revealed one of the letters written by the latter.

Another letter written by Dr Mukhopadhyay revealed that Dr Irshad, who is also the head of the biochemistry laboratory, declined to obey an official order. "He (Dr Irshad) shouted at his loudest voice, threatened violence, thrusting upon his fist in the air, he tore the official letter in front of the HoD," it read.

"This kind of misbehaviour should not be tolerated. In fact this kind of an eccentric person should be sent to school to learn lessons on human behaviour," said a faculty who witnessed the episode.

Director Dr RC Deka also constituted a committee under Vineet Choudhary, deputy director administration (DDA) to probe into the incident.

"I would not like to comment on the issue. All the relevant documents are with the director and the DDA," said Dr Mukhopadhyay.

"This matter belongs to the institute and should be resolved by the institute. This sounds like a joke and I have nothing to do with it," said Dr Irshad.

Even in the department of forensic medicine, situation is quite similar. "The head of the department Dr TD Dogra doesn't seem to get along with his colleague Dr Sudhir Gupta. Both the parties have been complaining against each other all the time," said an administrative official. Citing an instance the official said that Dr Dogra, who was then the dean, was pushing for the candidature of an IPS officer for PhD in forensic medicine when Dr Gupta protested as the latter failed the viva test. Dr Dogra then refused to accept the decision and went ahead and finally the ministry had to intervene.