Karnataka’s Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar wants the Medical Education Department to bring suitable amendments to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) statutes to enable the government to use the varsity’s funds to provide better healthcare services to the general public.
Move criticised
The move, which many argue will erode the autonomy of RGUHS, has received sharp criticism from various quarters including from syndicate members of the university.
Recently, Dr Sudhakar wrote to the Secretary, Medical Education Department to bring “suitable amendments” to the RGUHS Act in the legislative session in Belagavi. Many syndicate members, who are up in arms against this, pointed out that the State government does not fund RGUHS and hence should not aim to utilise its funds.
A copy of the note written by Dr. Sudhakar available with The Hindu states,"Chapter VI of the RGUHS Act speaks about the utilisation of the funds, its management and audit. Under proviso to Section 40, it is clear that with respect to utilisation of funds, the directions of the State government shall be final. However, if any such limitation is cast upon the government with respect to the utilisation of funds, it is imperative to introduce suitable amendments to the statute so as to enable the government to ensure that funds are put to effective use in the interest of extending better healthcare services to the general public.”
A syndicate member of the university said that the university for several years had mobilised funds by collecting students fees and affiliation fees. “Every penny is being saved for the construction of the new campus and to conduct medical research in Karnataka. Now, if the government takes all the funds under its control and spends it on its whims and fancies, the development of the university will suffer,” he said.
Jayakara S.M., Vice Chancellor in-charge, RGUHS, said that the Registrar of the university also received the same letter. “Before we communicate anything to the government we will have to get approval from the senate and syndicate,” he said.
Repeated attempts to contact Dr. Sudhakar went unanswered.
