The Medical Education Department’s decision to abruptly end the contract of K.S. Manjunath, dean-cum-director of Bowring and Lady Curzon Medical College and Research Institute, and replace him with an orthopaedic professor from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) has raised several eyebrows.
Dr. Manjunath, who was appointed as the dean and director of Bowring Medical College ever since the college was set up in 2017, was continued on an extension contract for three years after he retired in 2018. His term was supposed to end in November 2021. Sources said he had applied for six weeks leave on personal reasons from July 1. However, the Medical Education Department ended his contract abruptly and replaced him with Manoj Kumar, professor from the department of Orthopaedics in BMCRI.
This has been opposed by several senior doctors from Bowring Medical College.
Raising objection to Manoj Kumar’s appointment, three senior doctors from Bowring Medical College including Medical Superintendent G.N. Vijaylakshmi have written to Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar. The letter signed by Srinivas Naidu, professor and head of the department of Physiology, and Meenakshi Parthasarthy, professor and head of the department of Anatomy, apart from Dr. Vijaylakshmi stated that the institute’s bylaws and Cadre and Recruitment (C and R) Rules do not permit anyone from outside the institute to be appointed to the top post.
Appealing to the Minister to appoint one among the senior professors in Bowring Medical College as the dean-cum-director, the three doctors said: “As BMCRI would have shown Dr. Manoj Kumar as a faculty on rolls at its institute during inspections by the Medical Council of India, it is not possible to show him on the rolls of Bowring Medical Institute again.” However, Mr. Sudhakar said Dr. Manjunath had himself suggested the names of six professors — three from Bowring Medical College and two from BMCRI — who could be given charge of the post.
In a tweet, the Minister posting the outgoing director’s leave letter said Dr. Manjunath was holding an in-charge post. “As he sought to go on long leave, we immediately appointed one of those suggested by him to ensure that the functioning of the institute, a designated COVID hospital, is not affected.”