Verma told the Chandigarh Newsline that serving for more four decades at PGI, he has done what he wished to do.
The cutting edge research needs a lot of funds which is currently not available and there is a need to set up goals at the institutional level, outgoing dean of Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Dr S C Varma said on Monday. Varma retired from the service on Monday after more than four decades in the medical hub.
Verma told the Chandigarh Newsline that serving for more four decades at PGI, he has done what he wished to do. “I managed to do lot of things in the field of medical education – starting new studies at the institute and starting the bone marrow transplant,” he said. When asked what needs to be done to improve the research activities at PGI, Varma said: “The cutting edge research needs a lot of funds, which is not available currently. The institutions should set their own goals, so that it can reach the goal in the field of research,” he said.
He stated that currently there are individual goals in the field of research. “I don’t think there are institutional goals in terms of research. We should think on setting up of institutional goals,” he said. Dr Varma said the institute needs to keep up the standard of training and research at the PGI. “We have to make up the environment where aspirations of most of the people are fulfilled. There is a need of starting new programmes in those areas, which are of national needs,” he said.
Commenting about the challenges faced by PGI, the professor and former head of department of internal medicine said: “Focus should be on starting new centres and formulate a plan to manage the heavy rush of patients. There needs to be some coordination between the hospitals, so that there is a mechanism where the patients are referred back if needed. At present, at PGI, we are just dealing the numbers (the patients),” said Varma.
A statement said on Monday that Dr Subhash Varma joined the PGI in January 1975 to pursue MD course in internal medicine. He became a faculty member in May 1981 and professor and head of internal medicine in December 1999. He became the dean in 2016 and also served as officiating director of PGI from October 2016 to March 17 2017.
“Prof Varma has been the very embodiment of a learned, wise, and congenial clinician and medical teacher who stands as a shining example for juniors to follow in demeanour and scholarly conduct. His ever-smiling interactions, be it with patients, students, non-clinical staff or colleagues, have always won hearts, soothed anxious minds and calmed frayed nerves,” the statement said.
