Controversy erupts at BJ Medical College as MBBS medicos demand action against HoDs Medicine, ENT

According to media reports, while the HoD of Medicine had allegedly stated that though 75% attendance is compulsory, the final year medicos would not be given grace marks for attendance, the HoD of ENT Department allegedly threatened

to terminate the residency of one of the resident doctors. The medicos also raised questions on the appointment of Medicine's HoD.

Following the protest of the medicos, the state health department appointed a two-member committee and the members reached the college recently to investigate the matter.

The attendance marks would enable them to appear in their final exams. The medicos pointed out that while most of the other departments are taking into consideration the COVID duties, the department of medicine is making it difficult for the medicos. The protesting students said that their attendance might not be enough for the medicine department, they have been on duty at various hospitals while dealing with the Covid pandemic.

Previously Medical Dialogues reported that a video went viral which shows the ENT resident doctor accusing the ENT department head of mentally harassing him after demanding medical equipment from him and subsequently threatening to terminate his residency.

Dr Oman Prajapati, vice-president of the BJMC junior doctors' association (JDA), told Times of India, "Dr **** (HoD Medicine) has been facing accusations from postgraduate students that he was harassing them mentally." Prajapati added: "Now even undergraduate students are making the same allegations. Yet no action has been taken against him. Who is shielding him?"

BJMC dean Dr Jayesh Sachdeva said, "Students had sat on protest outside my office." He added: "To deal with this extraordinary situation, we put out a circular that all clinical postings of students while dealing with the Covid situation should be taken into account to compute attendance and internal marks." Taking cognizance of the situation, the state-appointed committee has already visited the premises.

TOI reports that the committee included Nandini Desai, dean of MP Shah Medical College in Jamnagar, and Dr Hemant Mehta, dean of Bhavnagar Medical College. The health department's inquiry committee on Thursday interviewed the HoD of Medicine and other professors of the medicine department, nursing staff, junior doctors and students today. This procedure lasted till 5 pm," said Dr Jayesh Sachdeva, dean of BJMC.

According to the daily, after the interview, the faculty members of other departments complained that Dr Mehta was not cordial and behaved badly with them during the interview. On the other hand, the junior doctors alleged that the two-member committee is nothing but a way of shielding one of the professors as he had a friend in the committee. Writing a letter to the Dean, BJMC junior doctors' association on Thursday questioned the doctor's appointment as head of the medicine department as there were other viable options who were more appropriate for the post considering the level of seniority.

Pointing out some of the available candidates, the medicos also mentioned in the letter that Dr Neelima Shah would be the rightful HoD, and if GPSC seniority is considered Dr Shivani Patel would be HoD. The protesting medicos also sought an inquiry on how he got the position of HoD.