Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Oct 15: The senior faculty members of SKIMS, Bemina today alleged that the Principal of the hospital did not like their meeting with the Advisor Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar and closed hospital gates for them.
The incident has occurred on October 13 when the senior faculty members including Dr. Naseer Mir President SKIMS Medical College Faculty Forum and Professor and HoD Orthopaedics Dr. Syed Khursheed Vice President Faculty Forum and Professor and HoD Microbiology were coming back after meeting with the Advisor.
Upon reaching the entrance of the hospital, these two senior faculty members were stopped and were not allowed to enter.
They were told that there are clear cut directions from the Principal not to let them in. The senior doctors said that they were even pushed around. “And these directions were specifically for us,” Dr. Naseer Mir told Excelsior.
Dr Mir said that they had sought an appointment with the Advisor and on that very day they were called in on short notice. “I along with Dr. Syed Khursheed including others went to meet the Advisor and brought in his notice several issues,” he said.
He added that the delegation impressed upon the Advisor that nobody should be given extension in their services as it mars the career of others. The meeting, Dr Mir said, ended at around 1:15pm and they headed out.
“While we were coming out, we saw Dr Riyaz Untoo in the corridor-no words exchanged, we headed to the hospital,” he said.
Upon reaching the hospital, the two of them were not allowed inside and were subjected to what the faculty members termed as ‘humiliation’.
Principal of the hospital, Dr Riyaz Untoo told Excelsior that the hospital gates remain closed as the hospital is COVID dedicated one. “Also, the security is outsourced and gates do not open for anyone after set timing in the morning,” he said.
He added that he does not have any problem if they (the faculty members) meet with any higher official. “That’s their right, but the thing is that they had not sought any permission from the hospital authorities, nor have they brought the issue into my notice so far,” he said.
Dr Mir, however, said that when they briefed the Principal about the incident and asked him whether he had given the orders of not letting us. “He did not deny it and said yes,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Principal, SKIMS, Bemina is set to attain the age of superannuation in January next year and the Faculty Forum, SKIMS Bemina Medical College is demanding that no extension should be given to him.
In a letter shot earlier to the Advisor, the Forum had stated that it has come to know from Dr Untoo “that the Govt has decided to extend his services beyond his retirement at the age of 62 years,” reads the letter written by the faculty members to the Advisor on October 1.
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