The Hindu : National : Venugopal a good doctor but a bad administrator: Anbumani

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Sunday, Oct 29, 2006
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Venugopal a good doctor but a bad administrator: Anbumani

Special Correspondent

"AIIMS has become the All India Institute of Political Sciences"

Anbumani Ramadoss

NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has described the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr. Venugopal, as "one of the worst administrators in this country."

Claiming that he had "bunches of letters" from faculty, resident doctors and students who wanted the AIIMS Director removed, Dr. Ramadoss said: "Just four months ago, before the (anti-reservation) strike, 99 per cent of AIIMS was against Dr. Venugopal." The strike had "changed everything," he said in an interview on the CNN-IBN programme Devil's Advocate, to be broadcast on Sunday night.

"Dr. Venugopal is one of the best doctors in this country. We all respect him. But he's also one of the worst administrators in this country ... It is not as if a good doctor can become a good administrator as well," the Minister said in the interview to Karan Thapar.

Speaking about the state of affairs at the AIIMS, the Minister claimed that it has become "the All India Institute of Political Sciences." Doctors were giving more attention to strikes and politics than to patients, he said.

Asked whether the fact that he had slapped 45 cases against Dr. Venugopal showed that he either had an ego problem with him or simply disliked him, the Health Minister said this was a false media perception, adding "I have more important things than to take on Dr. Venugopal."

Speaking about his initial refusal to pay salaries to doctors who went on strike in May, the Health Minister denied that an assurance had been given by the Prime Minister that their salary would not be cut, even though the Supreme Court, on May 31, believed that such an assurance had been given and said so to the Assistant Solicitor General.

"The Prime Minister did not give any assurance on the salary structure. It's the media's perception, not the Government's. We have a national policy on no-work no-pay. My Prime Minister is with me."

Dr. Ramadoss claimed that the reason there was a six-week delay before salaries were paid was because he needed Cabinet clearance and the procedure took that much time: "I can't take a decision just like that."

`A question of time'

The Minister said a ban on the manufacture of cigarettes and beedis and on the growing of tobacco was "just a question of time," but added: "I can't initiate it today. I would like to, but there are other things involved in this."

Questioned about his insistence on a ban on smoking in films, Dr. Ramadoss said this was necessary because "Shah Rukh Khan smoking in a movie is much more effective than a direct advertisement of a tobacco product."

The ban on smoking in films was a first step towards a total ban on cigarette and beedi manufacture and tobacco growing: "These are first things towards a ban."

According to him, "compared to last year, this year we have fewer cases of dengue and fewer deaths." It was the State Governments who had to take steps to handle the situation.

"I'm responsible (no doubt) but health is a State subject, they do the policies, they do the implementation."

Speaking about himself, Dr. Ramadoss said: "I'm a doctor first, secondly I'm an environmentalist and lastly I'm a politician."

The interview will be broadcast on Sunday at 8.30 p.m. and repeated on Monday at 10.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m.

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