9 Super-Specialty Hospitals in Karnataka Lacking Permanent Directors

This leadership vacuum also affects 22 medical colleges under the state Medical Education Department, with 10 of them operating without permanent directors.

Currently, only the Bengaluru-based Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (KMIO) and the Institute of Gastroenterology Sciences and Organ Transplant (IGOT) have permanent directors. The other institutions, including Jayadeva Hospital (SJIC), the Institute of Nephro Urology (INU), and the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH), lack permanent leadership.  

The absence of permanent directors has stalled hospital operations, potentially impacting annual budget allocations and pending projects. Mohammad Mohsin, Principal Secretary of the Medical Education Department told DeccanHerald that temporary heads or "directors in charge" can only manage the administration and not take all the administrative decisions of a director.   

Some acting directors, speaking anonymously, mentioned that they have to take all the responsibilities and perform the duties of a regular director without holding the official title. While the appointment of permanent directors may be a political decision, delays in some institutions are attributed to issues in implementing the new bylaws issued last year. These bylaws standardize the retirement age at 60 for all institutions, whereas previously each institution has its own rules regarding superannuation.   

Mohsin stated that the institutions like SJIC, SDS Tuberculosis Research Centre & Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (SDS RGICD), and the Institute of Nephro Urology (INU), all based in Bengaluru have not yet adopted the bye-laws. The latter two institutions have been functioning without a permanent director for over four years, reports The Daily.   

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who serves as chairman for three super-speciality hospitals, has not been able to convene a meeting to adopt the new bylaws, which would formalize the retirement age. Consequently, these institutions are likely to maintain the status quo until after the election results, delaying the process of calling for applications to appoint permanent directors.