Already a professor for the past seven years, head of anatomy department at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh astonished many when she again appeared for the post of professor in the recently held interviews and got selected for the same. However, she has not joined so far.
Dr Daisy Sahni, who heads anatomy department at PGIMER, became professor in 2008.
However, last month, she once again appeared before the institute’s standing selection committee as a candidate for the post of professor.
She earlier became professor through promotion channel.
However this time she had appeared for the direct post. Insiders look at this move as an attempt to stop anybody from outside to get selected for the post of professor, since Dr Sahni herself is a professor with a PhD degree not MBBS or MD.
If somebody with medical degree from outside gets selected, he/she will become head and Dr Sahni will have to lose her post as head of the department.
This is because, the norm at PGIMER is as such, that if a medical and non-medical are at the same post, then it is the medical faculty who is given preference to be the head of department.
When Hindustan Times contacted, Dr Sahni said she appeared for the interview as she wanted her current post converted into that of an assistant professor. She claimed that the conversion of post would give chance to younger candidates. Asked as why she hadn’t joined yet, Sahni said she would join only if she were given the status of a professor retrospectively since 2008.
{{/usCountry}}When Hindustan Times contacted, Dr Sahni said she appeared for the interview as she wanted her current post converted into that of an assistant professor. She claimed that the conversion of post would give chance to younger candidates. Asked as why she hadn’t joined yet, Sahni said she would join only if she were given the status of a professor retrospectively since 2008.
{{/usCountry}}It isn’t for the first time that such tactics have been adopted by the faculty to stop outside doctors from entering the institute. Earlier, two office-bearers of the faculty association had tried to scuttle the process of recruitment of 30 professors on direct posts because they themselves were not eligible for the post. Both did not have the prerequisite 11-year experience for the post of professor. They only had eight years of experience.