Dr VP Pandey appointed as Interim Dean of MGM Medical College Indore

Dr VP Pandey, M.D. FRCP (Edin), currently serves as the Professor and Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore. He has also held the positions of President of the Indian Rheumatology Association - MP Chapter and the Association of Physicians of India - Indore Chapter.

The move follows the retirement of the previous dean, Dr Sanjay Dixit, on November 30. In its directive on Thursday, the court has appointed Dr Pandey, considering his seniority in the institute. The bench comprising Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla stated during the hearing that he would hold the position until the state government makes a direct or regular appointment, reports Free Press Journal.

This ruling addresses a year-old controversy in which the government appointed deans of 18 medical colleges through a direct recruitment process, allegedly at the expense of more experienced candidates and favouring junior doctors. The most senior professor, Dr Pandey, had previously gone to court to overturn this decision.

After Dr Dixit’s retirement, a formal replacement of the college became necessary. Hence, MY Hospital Superintendent Dr Ashok Yadav took over temporarily, but his appointment did not get the court's approval. Concerns were raised about the appropriateness of a junior doctor overseeing the confidential records of senior faculty members. The High Court’s order has made it clear that while Dr Pandey will serve as interim dean, the state government retains the authority to appoint a permanent replacement at its discretion, reports the Daily.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that Dr Ashok Yadav has taken over as the Dean of MGM Medical College after Dr Dixit's retirement. Dr Ashok Yadav was the Professor and Head of the Department of Transfusion Medicine (I.H.B.T) and Director of the State-of-the-Art Model Blood Bank at M.G.M Medical College and Associated Hospitals.