Bhuma Vengamma, senior professor of neurology, has once again been appointed Director and Vice-Chancellor of Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS), the super-specialty hospital run by the TTD.
Dr. Vengamma’s appointment comes in the wake of the acceptance of the resignation submitted by the incumbent Thanjavur S. Ravikumar, who was relieved of his post with immediate effect. Dr. Ravikumar will however continue as president of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Mangalagiri. The order issued by Principal Secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy stated that Dr. Vengamma will be appointed with immediate effect till a Vice-Chancellor is appointed as per the Act.
No sooner did Dr. Ravikumar step down than Dr. Vengamma’s name started making the rounds as she had served in the same post in three phases from November 2009 to August 2015. She laid enhanced focus on epilepsy by running monthly camps and reaching out to poor patients during her tenure. The neurology department, under her guidance, conducted 200 camps for underprivileged epilepsy patients.
Meanwhile, the State Government appointed Government Maternity Hospital Superintendent Dr. S. Bhavani as the Superintendent of SVRR Government General Hospital. Dr. Jaya Bhaskar, senior professor of general medicine, was elevated as Principal of Sri Venkateswara Medical College.
Laurels pour in
Meanwhile, outgoing Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ravikumar won accolades for playing a key role in winning the top slot in the NIRF 2019 rankings for SVIMS, which was adjudged the best in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Similarly, Sri Balaji Arogya Varaprasadini Scheme got the highest donation of ₹194 crore from philanthropists during his four-year tenure, meant to be used for research infrastructure, including the establishment of Centre for Advanced Research
(CfAR). Sri Padmavathi Medical College for Women, India’s second all-women medical college, became functional under his tenure in 2016.
Dr. Ravikumar also opened new vistas in the domain of clinical and patient care with his reformative measures on patient safety, such as triage system and training the public in CPR techniques. He also launched India’s first-ever Real Time Actionable Patient Experience of Care (R-TAPE) system and a ‘Pink Bus’ to screen rural women of Rayalaseema for oral, cervical and breast cancer.
