AAP Govt defends Punjab minister action of humiliating BFUHS Vice Chancellor

Chandigarh: Following the controversy of Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra allegedly forcing the vice-chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences to lie on a dirty mattress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday defended the action describing it as an "unfortunate" incident.

Defending the action of Jouramajra, AAP said that he had no ulterior motive to defame the doctor and that his intentions were clean. However, the incident has shocked the nation of the amount of humiliation a doctor has faced due to the poor state of the hospital.  

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported the incident where Dr Raj Bahadur a specialist in spinal surgery and joint replacement, a former director-principal of Government Medical College and Hospital in Chandigarh and has also been the head of the orthopaedic department at PGIMER, Chandigarh had tendered his resignation and requested the Punjab Chief Minister to relieve him from services stating that this kind of hostile environment is not productive for his work.

Condemning the act, IMA Punjab stated, "It is not only humiliation for the respected Vice Chancellor Dr Raj Bahadur, but entire Medical Fraternity across India has been insulted." Bahadur. In the press release, IMA stated that the shocking incident wherein Respected Hon Vice Chancellor Dr Raj Bahadur was made to lie on a bed sheet was absolutely uncalled for. Hon Vice Chancellor Or Raj Bahadur, a learned academician and well-respected Doctor, has done great work for the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences. He has been instrumental in uplifting the status of the University at a very high level."

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the opposition party have harshly criticized Jouramajra for the incident. Jouramajra who was recently given charge of the state's health ministry has been asked to provide an unconditional apology by the IMA. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mann has not yet commented on the issue. 

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The matter has also caused a conflict between IMA and AAP as AAP has supported Jouramajra's action over the issue, while IMA has criticized the minister and emphasized that such incidents should not occur in the future since doctors should be respected and not treated inhumanely.

"The dignity of Doctor and work done by such senior person must be respected. IMA Demands an immediate unconditional apology and resignation from the Health Minister of Punjab for his misbehaviour. IMA appeals to the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Punjab to immediately intervene and take necessary action against the Minister immediately."

The incident happened on Friday when Jouramajra was on an inspection of Faridkot's Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, which comes under the BFUHS. A video clip of the incident that circulated on social media, showed Jouramajra placing a hand on the veteran surgeon's shoulder as he pointed toward the "damaged and dirty condition" of the mattress inside the hospital's skin department.

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During a press conference on Saturday, Malvinder Kang, AAP's chief spokesperson for Punjab said "We respect the concerned official as a medical professional. There's no doubt about that. But we should also consider the condition of the hospital bed, which was visible in the videos that surfaced later, and think about who's responsible for it. It was an unfortunate incident. It should not have happened," Malvinder Kang, AAP's chief spokesperson for Punjab, said at a press conference Saturday.

"However, the health minister's intentions were clean. His only objective is to upgrade health facilities and provide better facilities to the people of Punjab. So, it should not be politicised. If there's someone to blame for the poor state of affairs in Punjab's healthcare, it's the previous Congress and Akali governments. Their tenures were marked with rampant corruption, scandals, and scams," he added.

On being asked about Dr Bahadur's resignation and the Punjab unit of the Indian Medical Association asking Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to direct his minister to apologise, Kang said: "Resignations and apology [are not] solutions. At the end of the day, a large number of the poor visit government hospitals and the quality of service in these facilities is concerning. We need to focus on improving the quality of service", reports the Print.

Demanding strict action against the minister, opposition parties Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal, and the Bharatiya Janata Party have described the incident as "shameful". The matter has also concerned Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring who tweeted by saying "I couldn't see eye to eye with Dr Raj Bahadur Ji, as there was helplessness in his eyes. It was not he who felt insulted and humiliated, but all of us together. Entire Punjab stands in solidarity with you, Sir."

On Friday, AAP leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said "It was an unfortunate incident. We all are part of this system and should work as a team to improve the situation, which has been gradually rotting for the past many years."

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