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AIIMS students get their degrees

NEW DELHI: Students of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences here finally breathed easy on Tuesday as 49 MBBS degree certificates bearing the signature of Union Health Minister and AIIMS President Anbumani Ramadoss arrived at the Institute.

However, 17 other post-graduate, post-doctoral and nursing degrees, which had also been despatched to the Health Minister camping in Chennai, have reportedly been returned unsigned by his office.

AIIMS Resident Doctors’ Association president Kumar Harsh said: “He [Dr. Ramadoss] has signed the MBBS degrees, but the other 17 degrees that were sent have been returned unsigned. No reason has been cited for this. We will bring this to the attention of the Delhi High Court in a few days. The Court had clearly stated that all students who needed their degrees urgently should be provided the same without further delay.”

According to Dr. Harsh, about 15 students had already collected their degrees from the Dean’s office. “Since it is a holiday today [on account of Janmashtami], only a few students have collected their degrees. Dr. Ramadoss has called a meeting of the AIIMS Governing Body on Wednesday. The unsigned degree certificates will come up for discussion then.”

Reacting to the development, Progressive Medicos and Scientists’ Forum treasurer Kapil Yadav said: “Our official stand has always been that the students should not be made to bear the brunt of internal squabbles. The authorities are using the issue of the students’ degrees to play a game of one-upmanship with each other. The strike called by the Residents’ Doctors’ Association was a ploy to garner media attention and put pressure on Dr. Ramadoss.”

“When the Court has been so prompt in issuing this directive, then why couldn’t it have treated the case regarding the AIIMS Registrar’s appointment with equal haste?” said Dr. Yadav.

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