The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to reveal how the decision to bring a private doctor, Ramakant Panda, to conduct Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's cardiac surgery was arrived at. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, 76,was operated upon at AIIMS by an 11-member panel of doctors led by Ramakant Panda of the Asian Heart Institute (AHI), Mumbai.
The decision to ask for the information came on an appeal filed by Jagdish Chander Jetli, who had asked AIIMS why Panda was chosen to conduct the prime minister's heart surgery.
Jetli contended before the CIC that "The public has the right to know why a premier institute such as the AIIMS, which is staffed by the best doctors in the country and with the best of medical facilities, had to invite a doctor from outside to conduct the operation in its premises. This is a matter of great concern to the public and inviting a doctor from another institute has eroded the reputation of AIIMS."
Here is what the public had to say about this piece of news..most of them criticized the reservations for this, but a few defended the decision too...
Yan,India,says:Why was a SC/ST/OBC reserved passed doctor not selected for such an operation ??? That would have helped the backward community greatly. Any comments on "Practice What You Preach" ??
Atul Saxena,USA,says:Truth is bitter : We are loosing image of both Premier Institutes IIT's and AIIMS world wide because of reservation factor in teaching staff and education. Inviting outside doctor is indication that no body wants to die and if this facility is given to common public they will do the same what PM did. It is an indication to all of us to understand, India need change. No more miss-use of Vote collection tool. Uplift SC/ST/on the top of it OBCs without using reservation and there is a way to fix it. Sooner is the better for Progressive India.
R.Sundara Raman,The Netherlands,says:Get real. Can we take care of our prime minister with the best health care. Why should we bicker about this . Remember our TamilNadu chief minister M.G.Ramachandran was sent to USA on tax payer's expenses in the 80's. We should be happy that the treatment was in India.
S Sood,India,says:It shows that our Govt doctors are good for nothing.They are not raliable and dependable.What will happen to the public? This is misuse of Public Money.
Pankaj Maheshwari,Mumbai,says:With due respects to Dr Panda, it was a decision enforced upon by the then health minister A Ramadoss who wanted to underline that he was the boss and to settle scores with Dr Venugopal of AIIMS owing to his personal animosity with him who is the best cardiac surgeon. In his blatant use of power to satiate his own ego Ramadoss put the reputation of AIIMS at stake and sowed doubts in public minds regarding efficiency of AIIMS doctors.
Dilip S,Bangalore,says:I think this concern is fairly reasonable. It does make us lose faith in institutions that are we've been always told are some of the best in the world and not just in our country.
RR,USA,says:Simply because AIIMS is a play ground for politicians like Ramdoss, Arjunsingh etc and selection of a private doctor by PM/PMO reflects their confidence on their cabinet and prevailing quota/reservaion system in every "Centre of Excellence" in the country. There should be a law passed that President/PM,Governors and all Ministers, MPs, MLAs et., should only be treated by BC/SC and ST doctors in Sarkaari hospitals. Then either things will improve or the Country can get rid of the rubbish.
Basavaraj Vannur,Chennai,says: They don't rely on the doctors appointed based on quota. This is true about reservations and its effects. Mr, PM why this double standards?
Sharad Pandey,varanasi,says:well if it really happened due to a special request from the prime minister and family then i guess he has set a bad example as the head of the country.
AJ,California,says:Because AIIMS may be full of doctors from the SC-ST category!!!!!!! They may have entered through the back door using the reservation system but you cannot use them to operate on the Prime Minister! They should operate on poor people.
Bharat,says:My opinion is they were not sure about the capabilities of those SC/ST/Minorities candidate who got to be at AIMS thanks to Mr.Arjunsingh.
Vijay,Bangalore,says:Here is the reason that will come out.... We have AIIMS and then we have reservations. So when the PM required a coronary bypass, he suddenly panicked. They wanted a "Reputed Doctor" while the common man can make do with the reserved ones... Welcome to the jungle, and welcome to reality. How unfortunate, where caste plays a bigger role than merit. :( Oh country, my country, what has come of thou...
Sushil Verma,usa,says:If the Prime Minister of the country does not have confidence in the competence of Indian doctors, what kind of message it has for the people of the country.
K B Shahi FRCS,uk,says:There is nothing wrong in it. It does happen in all over the developed world. The cardiac surgeon who did our PM's operation has got special interest and experience of redo operation. He is the product of the same instition. He was the best in the eyes of PM and the institution. It does not mean degradation of our Institution from any standard.
The decision to ask for the information came on an appeal filed by Jagdish Chander Jetli, who had asked AIIMS why Panda was chosen to conduct the prime minister's heart surgery.
Jetli contended before the CIC that "The public has the right to know why a premier institute such as the AIIMS, which is staffed by the best doctors in the country and with the best of medical facilities, had to invite a doctor from outside to conduct the operation in its premises. This is a matter of great concern to the public and inviting a doctor from another institute has eroded the reputation of AIIMS."
Here is what the public had to say about this piece of news..most of them criticized the reservations for this, but a few defended the decision too...
Yan,India,says:Why was a SC/ST/OBC reserved passed doctor not selected for such an operation ??? That would have helped the backward community greatly. Any comments on "Practice What You Preach" ??
Atul Saxena,USA,says:Truth is bitter : We are loosing image of both Premier Institutes IIT's and AIIMS world wide because of reservation factor in teaching staff and education. Inviting outside doctor is indication that no body wants to die and if this facility is given to common public they will do the same what PM did. It is an indication to all of us to understand, India need change. No more miss-use of Vote collection tool. Uplift SC/ST/on the top of it OBCs without using reservation and there is a way to fix it. Sooner is the better for Progressive India.
R.Sundara Raman,The Netherlands,says:Get real. Can we take care of our prime minister with the best health care. Why should we bicker about this . Remember our TamilNadu chief minister M.G.Ramachandran was sent to USA on tax payer's expenses in the 80's. We should be happy that the treatment was in India.
S Sood,India,says:It shows that our Govt doctors are good for nothing.They are not raliable and dependable.What will happen to the public? This is misuse of Public Money.
Pankaj Maheshwari,Mumbai,says:With due respects to Dr Panda, it was a decision enforced upon by the then health minister A Ramadoss who wanted to underline that he was the boss and to settle scores with Dr Venugopal of AIIMS owing to his personal animosity with him who is the best cardiac surgeon. In his blatant use of power to satiate his own ego Ramadoss put the reputation of AIIMS at stake and sowed doubts in public minds regarding efficiency of AIIMS doctors.
Dilip S,Bangalore,says:I think this concern is fairly reasonable. It does make us lose faith in institutions that are we've been always told are some of the best in the world and not just in our country.
RR,USA,says:Simply because AIIMS is a play ground for politicians like Ramdoss, Arjunsingh etc and selection of a private doctor by PM/PMO reflects their confidence on their cabinet and prevailing quota/reservaion system in every "Centre of Excellence" in the country. There should be a law passed that President/PM,Governors and all Ministers, MPs, MLAs et., should only be treated by BC/SC and ST doctors in Sarkaari hospitals. Then either things will improve or the Country can get rid of the rubbish.
Basavaraj Vannur,Chennai,says: They don't rely on the doctors appointed based on quota. This is true about reservations and its effects. Mr, PM why this double standards?
Sharad Pandey,varanasi,says:well if it really happened due to a special request from the prime minister and family then i guess he has set a bad example as the head of the country.
AJ,California,says:Because AIIMS may be full of doctors from the SC-ST category!!!!!!! They may have entered through the back door using the reservation system but you cannot use them to operate on the Prime Minister! They should operate on poor people.
Bharat,says:My opinion is they were not sure about the capabilities of those SC/ST/Minorities candidate who got to be at AIMS thanks to Mr.Arjunsingh.
Vijay,Bangalore,says:Here is the reason that will come out.... We have AIIMS and then we have reservations. So when the PM required a coronary bypass, he suddenly panicked. They wanted a "Reputed Doctor" while the common man can make do with the reserved ones... Welcome to the jungle, and welcome to reality. How unfortunate, where caste plays a bigger role than merit. :( Oh country, my country, what has come of thou...
Sushil Verma,usa,says:If the Prime Minister of the country does not have confidence in the competence of Indian doctors, what kind of message it has for the people of the country.
K B Shahi FRCS,uk,says:There is nothing wrong in it. It does happen in all over the developed world. The cardiac surgeon who did our PM's operation has got special interest and experience of redo operation. He is the product of the same instition. He was the best in the eyes of PM and the institution. It does not mean degradation of our Institution from any standard.
