Attri to continue as GMCH prof; Thami to get admn charges

The Chandigarh Administration has decided that Dr AK Attri will continue in service as professor at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, until the age of 65, but all administrative charges earlier held by him will be handed over to Dr GPS Thami, the next senior-most professor.

An order issued by the Department of Medical Education and Research (DMER) today clarified that Dr Attri, who had exercised his option to remain in service beyond 62 years under the Government of India rules, would continue in his teaching role on the same payscale.

However, with effect from August 24, he will cease to hold any administrative positions. These include the posts of Director Principal at GMCH-32, ex-officio charge of Director of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh Administration, Director of the Government Rehabilitation Institute for Intellectual Disabilities, Sector 31, and Director of the Mental Health Institute, Sector 32. All these responsibilities will now be assigned to Dr Thami until further notice.

The order specifically states that Dr Attri will not be entitled to any additional financial upgrading or benefits while continuing as professor. It adds that the approval has been issued with the sanction of the Administrator of the Union Territory.

The move marks a clear distinction between academic service and administrative responsibility at the GMCH. Officials said that while Dr Attri would now be focussing exclusively on his teaching duties, Dr Thami will assume the mantle of leadership of the college and allied institutes at a time when the city’s premier medical institution faces the dual challenge of meeting increasing patient load and addressing the shortage of senior faculty.