The JIPMER Faculty Association (JFA) will go on the war path to demand the annulment of the one-year tenure extension given to JIPMER Director, alleging that the inefficient administration and misguided leadership over the last five years of his term and led to numerous problems for employees and the public.
The JFA, which convened a meeting recently, has resolved to write to the Prime Ministers’ Office (PMO) and Union Health Ministry to terminate the extension of tenure and launch protests until their plea to appoint an eligible faculty member as interim Director until a new Director joins is fulfilled.
The JFA president R. Raveendran said the protests planned include wearing black badges at the workplace, holding peaceful dharna regularly outside the administration block without affecting hospital functioning or patient care and initiating non-cooperation with the Director’s orders.
According to the JFA, the incumbent Rakesh Aggarwal had completed his five-year tenure by the end of December 2023. Though the interview for the new Director was held long ago, the selection process was not yet concluded.
lnstead of appointing a senior-most professor in JIPMER as the officiating Director, the incumbent’s tenure had been extended for one year, overlooking the availability of senior faculty members capable and efficient to take over the responsibility. The JFA said it had flagged the incumbent’s alleged dictatorial functioning and misguided leadership to JIPMER president and governing body. Representatives of the Puducherry government too had met Union Health Minister seeking his removal for decisions that caused hardships to the public.
Condemning the unilateral initiation of a collegium system, the JFA sought its deferment and for proper consultations with stakeholders before implementation.
Among other charges listed by the JFA contributing to the downslide of the institution over the past few years, was the improper utilisation of budget money which was castigated by a Parliament committee in the past, a 50% reduction reduction in the intramural funding for research over the years and a dwindling of the number of research projects that would have adverse bearing on future NIRF rankings of the institution.
The JFA has sought for the removal of age limit of 55 years for the posts of Deans and Medical Superintendent, and instead introduce the number of years of experience as an eligibility criterion. Any medical faculty with a designation of professor (or above) and having more than a total of 15 years of experience of continuous, regular service at JIPMER should be considered, it said.
The JFA also called for framing regulations for eligibility and selection of Associate Deans (Research/Academic), instead of the existing arbitrary and opaque procedures, and limiting the tenure to three years.
