Lucknow: The UP cabinet amended the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences Act 1983. With the amendment in place, a provision to extend the term of the director until the age of 68 was introduced.
Mentioning that SGPGI was extending high-quality patient care services to the state and beyond, the cabinet note stated that the position of director in the institution was critical to ensuring continuity of the services. It further mentioned that Section 12 of the SGPGI Act 1983 dealt with the post of the director but did not provide details about the tenure, age limit and scope for extension. Thus, the need for the amendment was felt.
To clear the ambiguity, an inclusion in Section 12 was made. As per the amendment, Section 12 (Ka) (1) would now state that the director of the institute would continue to serve for a period of five years or until the age of 65, whichever came first. This would be calculated from the date he took charge of his position. Sub-section 12 Ka (2), which was included, states that a director who had not attained the age of 65 years before the conclusion of his term might get an extension for a period of three years.
The cabinet note mentioned that the move would prove to be beneficial for public health as the institute would benefit from his experience, besides ensuring the continuity of ongoing programmes. The amendment triggered a mixed reaction inside the SGPGI. Those considered close to the incumbent director were visibly happy as the move is set to pave the way for his extension. Prof Radha Krishan Dhiman‘s term was due to end on Feb 7, while he reaches the age of 65 on June 4, 2025.
Several senior professors, however, were unhappy with this following the controversy of the director’s failure to complete the service records of as many as 120 senior faculty members, mostly professors and heads.
