Degree certificates of resident docs returned: Ramadoss

NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has returned the degree certificates of AIIMS' resident doctors to the institute's Director P Venugopal, saying that these should bear his as well as the legally-appointed Registrar's signatures.

"The degrees shall bear the signature of President, Director, Dean and the Registrar of AIIMS," Ramadoss told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Opposition did not allow the minister to make the statement when the Speaker called him to do so and accused him of being responsible for the strike, which has been since called off.

This prompted the Speaker to ask him to lay the statement on the table of the House.

In his statement, Ramadoss said as per the procedure followed, every year a convocation of AIIMS is required to be held sometime in the month of February when the degrees are awarded to successful students who must appear in person at to receive the degrees unless he is permitted to take the degree in absentia.

"The Director, AIIMS, however, has not organised the convocation for the last two years," he said.

He said the degrees forwarded to him by the institute bore the signature of one Dr Sandeep Aggarwal who is not the Registrar, AIIMS, appointed by the Governing Body.

"I have returned the degrees to the Director, AIIMS for rectifying the mistake at the earliest so that the degrees to the students who require such degree urgently can be issued immediately," he said.

The minister said V P Gupta was appointed by the competent authority as Registrar of the institute in 2002 and he has been functioning in that post since then.

Ramadoss said the continuance of Gupta in the post of Registrar was also considered by the Governing Body in its meeting held in January 2007 and again in May 2007.

"...the Governing Body decided that he should continue to function as Registrar," he said, adding that the appointing authority for the post is the Governing Body, the highest administrative body of the institute.

Ramadoss said as a special case considering the requirement of original degrees for students appearing in USMLE, US, 54 MBBS degrees in 2005 were signed by all concerned to be awarded to the students.

"Similarly, for the year 2006 also, 49 MBBS degrees were forwarded by the Director, AIIMS only on August 20, 2007 for my signature as President, AIIMS," he added.

The resident doctors, who had gone on a three-day strike on the issue of certificates, today called it off after the minister warned them with suspension following the Delhi High Court order to resolve the crisis.

Ramadoss said "any degree signed by an unauthorised person will render the degree illegal and invalid.

"It is unfortunate that the resident doctors restored to strike without appreciating any concern for their future," he said.

He said that he had instructed the Director to take necessary steps to ensure that the strike was called-off and the patient care services in the institute was restored.

"My utmost sympathy is with the students who are waiting the award of degrees for more than two years which is primarily due to delay in holding the convocation", he said.

The minister said he has also asked the Director to convene the convocation within a period of one month so that pending degrees could be awarded to the students without any further delay.