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NIMS’ chief selection: T activists allege foul play
The race for coveted NIMS director’s post is snowballing into a major controversy with Telangana protagonists raising a big hue and cry over the selection process. While 20 odd applicants entered the fray including five doctors from Telangana, the list of shortlisted candidates reportedly contains three names and all of them belong to Seemandhra region.
NIMS’ chief selection: T activists allege foul play
Mahesh Avadhutha
Hyderabad: The race for coveted NIMS director’s post is snowballing into a major controversy with Telangana protagonists raising a big hue and cry over the selection process. While 20 odd applicants entered the fray including five doctors from Telangana, the list of shortlisted candidates reportedly contains three names and all of them belong to Seemandhra region.
The three-member search committee comprising Health Minister Kondru Murali, Principal Secretary (Health) Ajay Sawhney and doctor from AIIMS, Prof. K Srinath Reddy submitted the finalised list to Chief Minister, who is the ex-officio president of NIMS.
Out of 25 doctors from various government and private hospitals, Dr Mukunda Reddy; HoD (Surgical Oncology) Dr G Surya Narayana Raju and Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr L Narendranath got the nod of the government appointed panel and it is up to the Chief Minister to take a final call now. Highly placed sources informed that the coveted post might be offered to either of Mukund Reddy, who hails from Chittoor distict or Surya Narayana Raju, who is known to be close to a Union Minister of State from Andhra Pradesh.
After director Dharma Rakshak quit the post in July this year following allegations of corruption, the AP High Court had given time until end of September for the government to appoint a full-time director. In this backdrop, the government might announce the name of the full time director shortly. However, this development is sure to have political ramifications as in the last 28 years of NIMS’ history there has been only one director from Telangana.
Fourteen members had served as directors in this prestigious institution till. The only time a doctor from Telangana was given chance was from December 1990 to March 1993 when D Raja Reddy held the prestigious post. Telangana Rashtra Samithi and TJAC expressed their strong displeasure surrounding the selection process and finding no doctor in the shortlisted candidates from Telangana region.
It looks like several requests made by concerned medical JACs to allot the director post to Telangana region have fallen on deaf ears, TJAC chief Prof. .Kodandaram lamented. “T JAC did not intervene into this issue directly. However, we shall see what could be done,” he added. TRS leader Harish Rao demanded the government to consider Telangana doctor for the director post.
Meanwhile, Telangana Medical JAC chairman Dr Ramesh denounced the administration’s efforts for ignoring Telangana doctors’ claims over the post at this juncture. “Telangana medical fraternity was ignored in the unified state of Andhra Pradesh. It is unfortunate that the same situation is continuing even after announcement by Centre for creation of Telangana State.
At least doctors hailing from Telangana region should be given preference for heading medical institutions located in the region,” he stressed.
