Super specialists leave Tanda medical college to join AIIMS

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, January 2

The state-run Government Medical College, Tanda (TMC), situated in Kangra district is making efforts to strengthen its super specialty services but there seems no immediate relief for patients because specialist doctors have resigned to join the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Bilaspur.

Sources said in the past six months, six doctors, most of them super specialists, had left Tanda Medical College.

Those who have left Tanda Medical College in the recent past include Dr Lokesh Rana of Radiology Department, who had expertise in MRI, trus biopsy, MR arthrogram and alcohol ablation. These technologies are helpful in detecting prostate and bone cancers. Earlier such patients had to go to the PGI, Chandigarh, and AIIMS, New Delhi, for treatment. However, Dr Rana had created these facilities in the TMC. He has written a number of books and articles which have been published in various health journals. Now, he has joined AIIMS, Bilaspur, thus creating a big vacuum in the TMC.

Other doctors who have left the TMC and shifted to AIMS, Bilaspur, included Dr Rupali, a physiology and Priyander Singh Thakur, a super specialist from the department of endocrinology. Likewise, neuro physician Dr Ashish Sharma has also left the TMC and joined at AIIMS Bilaspur. In addition to this, Dr Navneet, a plastic surgeon, has also preferred to join at AIIMS Bilaspur. Dr Simiriti Gupta, a pediatrician and super specialist, has said goodbye to the TMC. Dr Vikrant Kanwar, Administrative Officer, has also joined AIIMS.

Tanda Medical College and Hospital caters to the people of six districts of lower areas of the state. Established in 1996, this institute has grown with time. However, its working is jeopardized every time a new medical college is opened in state and its faculty is shifted. Now with the opening of AIIMS at Bilaspur the institute had suffered another major setback when most of super specialists left Tanda and moved to AIIMS Bilaspur. As a result, over 30 faculty positions are vacant in the TMC. The Secretary Health, Amitabh Awasthi, could not be contacted for his comments. A message sent on his phone stayed unanswered.