Succumbing to students’ protest, Directorate General of Health Services withdraws transfer of affiliation of Safdarjung, RML medical colleges
Ghazanfar Abbas, IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, August 2: Hundreds of medical students jumped with joy on Monday as the Directorate General of Health Services announced to cancel the proposal about transfer of affiliation of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) of Safdarjung Hospital and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) to the University of Delhi.
The students were strongly opposed to the proposal offered in the month of March this year. The government took the decision to cancel the proposal after days of protest by medical students of VMMC. The protest began last Friday at the college campus and the OPD of Safdarjung Hospital was also closed on Monday due to the protest. The students called off the protest only after receiving a written letter from the Directorate General of Health Services.
“I, Dr Jagdish Prasad, Director General Health Services, Dte. G.H.S, Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi hereby cancel the proposal of transfer of VMMC & SJH and RML Hospital from GGSIP to University of Delhi on part of DGHS office and I also state that this would never happen,” reads the Office Memorandum of DGHS handed to the president & office bearers, student welfare association, VMMC & SJH.
While speaking to IndiaTomorrow.net, Saifullah Nizam, final semester medical student and former general secretary of Students Welfare Association, VMMC & SJH said, “Actually a proposal came from the office of Directorate General of Health Services to transfer the affiliation of Vardhman Mahavir Medical college, Safdarjung Hospital and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, RML Hospital from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University to University of Delhi in the month of March this year. Since then, the students were against this proposal and demanding that VMMC, SJH and Dr. RML Institute of Medical Sciences, RML Hospital remain affiliated to GGSIPU.”
He further informed that after the proposal came, the medical students wrote letters to DGHS, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of HRD, Vice Chancellors of both universities (GGSIP and DU), Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and even Prime Minister’s Office but none of them responded. Students got only verbal assurances from the administration of VMMC that it would not be affiliated to University of Delhi but the students were apprehensive that the college and hospital administration were bound to do whatever was ordered to them by DGHS.
Saifullah Nizam (extreme right), final year student of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College of Safdarjung Hospital with classmates showing cancellation letter of DGHS. (Photo – IndiaTomorrow.net)
“We asked about the reason of transfer of affiliation of the colleges in a meeting last week with the Director General of Health Services but no consolidated reason was given by him to us except signaling out that there is some issue between the government and GGSIPU that’s why it was proposed to transfer the affiliation. Finally, students wrote a letter to DGHS, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare saying that if the transfer was not cancelled, they would launch a protest and will continue it till their demands are not met”, Nizam said.
“Last Friday, medical students started a protest with a peaceful march and told the VMMC administration after meeting with Medical Superintendent of the college that it would be continued till the decision is not changed”, he added.
The Monday afternoon witnessed a triumphant moment for the students gathered at the entrance of the new building of OPD section at Safdarjung Hospital when DGHS Director General Dr. Jagdish Prasad himself came up and gave the proposal cancellation letter to the protestors.
