Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander. (File photo)Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander, chief cardiologist and coordinator of Hero DMC Heart Centre, has reportedly withdrawn his candidature for the vice chancellor’s post at Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot. This development was confirmed by reliable sources and close associates of Dr Wander, though the doctor himself did not revert to the query of indianexpress.com.
Notably, Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit Tuesday rejected the move of the Punjab government to appoint Dr Wander as the VC of BFUHS citing rules and instead sought a panel of names with at least three candidates to choose from. Earlier on September 30, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had taken to Twitter to announce that Dr Wander will be appointed as the new VC of BFUHS.
It needs to be mentioned that Dr Raj Bahadur was the V-C of the university and his term was to end in December 2023 but he resigned on July 29 after the ‘dirty mattress’ row. Punjab Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra had forced the former VC to lie down on a dirty mattress in the dermatology department of Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital (GGSMCH), Faridkot during a surprise visit.
The entire event was recorded on camera and within no time it went viral. The health minister was seen publicly rebuking the vice chancellor for poor arrangements in the government medical college and hospital. The GGSMCH is a constituent college of the BFUHS.
Although Chief Minister Mann requested the then VC to stay back, he refused to do so. Finally, Dr Bahadur’s resignation was accepted on August 12, and Dr Avnish Kumar, director of research medical education in the Punjab government, was given the additional charge of the VC of BFUHS on August 14.
Reacting to Punjab Governor returning the AAP-led government’s proposal to appoint Dr Wander, Dr (prof) Vittul Kumar Gupta, chairman of the Association of Physicians of India– Malwa branch, said: “It is really sad on the part of Bhagwant Mann government not to follow the basic protocol before the appointment of the vice-chancellor. It is being heard that amid a political tug of war, Prof Dr GS Wander has withdrawn his name from the post of VC at Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot.
“I strongly feel that politics has caused immense damage to the future growth of the BFUHS both academically and for research given the great vision of Dr GS Wander.”
Gurpreet Singh Chandbaja, a member of the monitoring committee at GGSMCH, Faridkot said: “If the AAP government hasn’t followed the basic protocol, it is indeed a matter to be condemned… such immature steps are only delaying the appointment of a vice chancellor of this medical university. This shows how non-serious the Punjab government is about the health department contrary to their claims.”