Newsmaker: P Venugopal

He who took his open heart to the streets

Dr P Venugopal had been in the news for all the right reasons till he took over as director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) five years ago.

And today, despite a halo of an illustrious career as one of the top cardiac surgeons in the country, he has been pushed out of the institute because he refused to bend before the authority of the satraps in the ministry of health.

The man who conducted the first open heart surgery in the country is today an angry old man ready to take on anyone who tries to trample on the autonomy of the institute.

He has been so for some time, ever since he first frowned at the health minister Anbumani Ramdoss' use of the institute's guest house. The frown stayed, and translated into an angry outburst when he found that as director he was not free to appoint the persons of his choice in various positions.

The recent dismissal of the dean, the financial advisor and a sub dean who had been appointed by Venugopal cut a raw nerve, and he was ready for rebellion.

He first threatened to resign. Then he went on leave. The minister condemned Venugopal's style of administration, setting up a committee to enquire into the running of the institute.

And now he has summoned the institute body of AIIMS which is headed by him and got 12 of its members (mostly government nominees) to vote for his dismissal. He was not a doctor without foes.

In fact, faculty members had accused him of being dictatorial and had till recently been seeking his removal. But he won many of them back after he supported them in their anti-quota agitation. This again angered many of his colleagues who accused him of splitting the institute along caste lines.

Venugopal, known for his mercurial temper, has not taken his removal from the post of director quietly either. He has shot back in defiance as was expected of him by many in the ministry. He has challenged his removal in court.

The fall of the director has stirred up yet another controversy. His stature is well known. He was the architect of the Cardio Thoracic and Neuro Sciences Centre, the pride of AIIMS, and established the first open heart surgery programme in India at AIIMS in 1974. Quite enough to win him the sympathy of those against quotas for OBCs in medical education.

But then, as his critics had been muttering, it was risky to adopt a flagrantly political stance on an issue as vexed as caste reservations to begin with. He should have known the consequences.

Now, as he takes on the health minister and challenges his dismissal in court, he has got a prominent BJP leader to advocate his case in court, which will surely attract even more attention.

Whether the political colours of his allies matter to him or not, for Venugopal, it is a fight for the independence of an institute he has served for half a century.