Rajkot: 10 faculty members resign protesting transfer of their head

Dr Gadhvicharan, head of the medicine department of the PDU Medical College, was transferred to Bhavnagar

Ten faculty members of the department of medicine at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Medical College, Rajkot, resigned from service on Thursday, protesting the transfer of the head of their department, Dr SK Gadhvicharan.

The college administration said that the doctors continued to discharge their duties in the Covid-19 hospital even after submitting their resignations.

Dr Gadhvicharan, an associate professor and head of the medicine department of the PDU Medical College, was transferred to Bhavnagar.

The PDU Medical College relieved him on Thursday even as he proceeded on sick leave.

Hours later, 10 faculty members, who are associate and assistant professors in the department, resigned in protest.

“They resigned en masse, stating they were resigning in protest of Dr Gadhvicharan’s transfer. They said that the head of the medicine department was a father-figure for them and their leader and if Dr Gadhvicharan was transferred due to them, they would like to resign,” Dr Gauravi Dhruva, dean of PDU Medical College, told The Indian Express.

The dean said that Dr Gadhvicharan’s transfer was ordered by the health department of the state government and that the college does not have any idea of the reason behind it.

The development comes when doctors specialising in medicine are leading the charge in treating patients of novel coronaviurs (Covid-19) infection at the dedicated Covid-19 hospital set up on the campus of PDU Hospital, known as Rajkot Civil Hospital, in the city.

Those who submitted their resignation to the dean inclu-ded four associate associate professors — Dr AP Trivedi, Dr PJ Dudharajiya, Dr MN Anadkat, Dr RM Gambhir and six assistant professors — Dr Manisha Pan-chal, Dr Deepmala Budhrani, Dr MS Bhapal, Dr Hiran Mak-wana, Dr Mahesh Rathod and Dr PS Patil. All of them are rendering their services as consultants in the Covid-19 hospital.
PDU Hospital is attached to the PDU Medical College run by the state government.