Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 1 (ANI): The dean of Madurai Medical College was removed from his post after the first-year students of a college were administered the ‘Maharshi Charak Shapath’ in Sanskrit.
According to the notice, the dean was placed on the ‘waiting list’ with no orders about further postings.
Reacting to the incident, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Narayanan Thirupathy claimed that the decision of removing the dean is a political move.
“Hippocratic oath is a westernised way of taking the pledge. NMC recommended the old Indian way of medicine (Maharshi Charak Shapath). Unnecessary politics should be avoided.” Thirupathy told ANI.
“The Centre said it’s optional. Why should you suspend Dean? DMK has always loved the westernised model,” he added.
The state government ordered the removal of A Rathinavel, the medical college dean, after the visuals of students taking the Sanskrit oath at the ceremony went viral.
The Directorate of Medical Education of the Tamil Nadu government issued a notice to the Madurai Medical College and sought an explanation against the first-year students taking the Charak oath instead of the Hippocratic oath in the reception celebration.
Earlier on Saturday, Madurai Government Medical College organised a welcome reception for the first-year students on Saturday. It was reported that during the oath-taking ceremony, the students, dressed in their uniforms, replaced the centuries-old tradition of Greek origin, the Hippocratic oath with ‘Charak Shapath’.
The Hippocratic Oath is an ancient pledge of medical ethical conduct, taken by the medical students as an important step in becoming a doctor.
During the ceremony, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister, Palanivel Thiagarajan, Minister of Commercial Taxes, P. Moorthy, District Collector Dr S. Aneesh Sekhar, and Medical College Principal, Dr A.Rathinavel were present. (ANI)