On Saturday, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) sought the resignation of Punjab Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra after he forced the Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences to lie down on a dirty hospital mattress. The incident is said to have taken place on Friday, following which VC Raj Bahadur resigned and requested the Punjab Chief Minister to relieve him from services.
The IMA called for the immediate attention of the Punjab CM and said that the incident was humiliating. “There have been similar incidences causing humiliation and harassment to the medical community by many politicians. It causes anguish amongst the doctors. The dignity of Doctor and work done by such senior person must be respected. IMA Demands immediate unconditional apology and resignation from the Health Minister of Punjab for his misbehavior”, the medical body said in the letter.
A video footage of the event that emerged on social media showed Jouramajra placing a hand on the renowned surgeon’s shoulder while pointing to the “damaged and unclean condition” of the mattress inside Faridkot’s Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital’s skin department. He then appeared to be asking the VC to sleep on the very same mattress. In the video, Bahadur also stresses that he is not in charge of the facilities, prompting the AAP leader to emphasize that everything was in Minister’s hands.
Since the event became public, the AAP politician has faced criticism from several quarters. Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, head of the Punjab Congress, has also sought the minister’s resignation, while Shiromani Akali Dal chairman Sukhbir Singh Badal has condemned the minister’s ridiculous behavior.
Meanwhile, BJP’s Sunil Jakhar also condemned the incident and said, “It’s unacceptable for Health Minister to misbehave like that with anybody, let alone with a Vice-Chancellor. Dr Raj Bahadur isn’t just a doctor, but a renowned personality in the medical world. Had the former apologised yesterday, Dr Raj wouldn’t have resigned”. Reports mention that CM Bhagwant Mann has taken note of the incident and has spoken to Jouramajra. Mann will be meeting Bahadur next week.