Ramadoss destroying AIIMS, change his ministry: Maneka Gandhi

New Delhi, Nov 2 (UNI) BJP MP and member of the Standing Committee on Health Maneka Gandhi today charged Health Minister Anbumoni Ramadoss of trying to destroy AIIMS administratively and urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to change his portfolio to save the premier medical institute of the country.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Ms Gandhi pointed out ''the continuous harassment and undue interference in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences with the single aim of removing the Director and in the process destroying the institution'' by Dr Ramadoss.

''AIIMS cannot be destroyed by an irresponsible and immature minister in pursuit of his private aims. It is an institution that protects Delhi and as an inhabitant of Delhi, I object to the needless destruction of a hospital this is considered the premier medical institution in India,'' she said.

Though AIIMS with 8 to 9 per cent of the hospital beds was treating 40 per cent of dengue patients in the capital, she said, and added that instead of letting the doctors deal with the crisis, there were regular phone calls by the minister asking for paper work on whom to pin the blame on. Ms Gandhi said that the minister refuses to take the blame for ignoring mosquito control measures or for getting other hospitals under his ministry geared up to deal with the problem as well.

She demanded that the report of the Valiathan Committee, which dealt with the ways to improve AIIMS functioning, should be made public. She claimed that the report has been igonored by the minister and not sent to AIIMS Director nor had any meeting called to deliberate on how the betterment of the AIIMS could be done..

''There is now chaos in the appointments which are being made directly by the minister without consulting the Director or any medical staff. In 50 years, this has never happened and this has further thrown the institute into turmoil as there are now random appointments at very senior levels.'' She said that the minister has done ''pernicious appointment'' of the Standing Legal Counsel, thereby ensuring he could do what he likes and AIIMS couldnot not do a thing since the SLC has been appointed by him. The minister has ''without following any criteria'' has appointed a Dean, a Sub-dean, two institute body members, an academic registrar and a senior financial advisor among ten other appointments, she charged.

''Added to that are the constant accusations which have suddenly cropped up of caste discrimination and the repeated inquiries/ committees set up by the Minister to probe this. The minister has also attempted several times to create an agitation in the staff on the issue which has only surfaced in the last three months.

Again and again, they have been found to be baseless, but they disrupt staff functioning,'' she pointed out, wondering,''Do we want to see AIIMS collapse administratively? Obviously this is what the minister wants and is trying for.'' Stating that the Prime Minister has been sent thousands of complaints against Dr Ramadoss, she said that even the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health condemned his actions.

She said that if the Prime Minister is under political compulsion to keep Dr Ramadoss in his cabinet, then he should change his portfolio as ''matters are very quickly getting out of control and everyone is suffering because of one person.'' UNI AJ VD KP1938