Adesh varsity V-C penalised for giving false information

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 20

The Punjab Medical Council (PMC) has cancelled the registration of the Vice-Chancellor of Adesh University, Bathinda, for furnishing false information. The decision has been taken on the recommendation of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

According to official sources, Dr GPI Singh was indicted in an inquiry conducted by the Ethics Committee of the MCI for submitting wrong information. The same was conveyed to the PMC last week, which issued orders for the cancellation of Dr Singh’s registration. A senior functionary of the PMC has confirmed the development.

Dr GPI Singh’s name has been struck off the register of doctors of the council for three years, which means neither he can practice as a doctor nor can he take any medical teaching assignment for three years.

The case pertains to 2011, when Dr GPI Singh was Principal of Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Bathinda. While heading the medical college, he had allegedly furnished false information to an MCI inspection team. It was claimed that Dr Muktanjali Arya was a full-time teacher of microbiology at the institute. But a whistleblower had claimed that Dr Arya was working at a private hospital in Ludhiana. Following that the MCI referred the matter to its Ethics Committee, which found the charges true.

Though the decision was taken one-and-a-half year ago by the MCI committee, it was never conveyed to the PMC with whom Dr GPI Singh was registered as a physician.

Dr HS Gill, Chancellor, Adesh University, said as per the provisions, they had already appealed to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to review the penalty imposed by the MCI.

As per the MCI rules, every medical college must have fulltime teachers. The rules don’t allow a teacher to work simultaneously in two institutes. It is a common practice at private medical and dental colleges across the country to employ “ghost” teachers who in real are not part of the faculty of the college, but to complete the quorum, are paraded before MCI officials during inspection.

Three-year ban

Dr GPI Singh’s name has been struck off the register of doctors of the Medical Council of India for three years, which means neither he can practice as a doctor nor can he take any medical teaching assignment for the next three years.

Case dates back to 2011

The case pertains to 2011, when Dr GPI Singh was Principal of Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Bathinda. He had allegedly furnished false information to an MCI inspection team. It was claimed that Dr Muktanjali Arya was a full-time teacher of microbiology at the institute. But she was working at a private hospital in Ludhiana.