IHBAS doc shortage: Delhi HC to hear plea

New Delhi: The Delhi high court is likely to examine a contempt plea against the Centre, Delhi government and director of the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) on Monday for their alleged failure to tackle the shortage of doctors.

The petition said that despite the court making it clear that vacancies must be filled, there has been no action in IHBAS and cites an order passed by the court in September last year, directing that pending vacancies be filled.

Filed by advocate Amit Sahni, the plea informs the court that IHBAS is a premier mental health and neurosciences institute of the country, but is functioning with 24 doctors against the sanctioned strength of 103.

It also states that the petitioner had made a representation in August last year for filling the pending vacancies of faculty and other medical staff at IHBAS, but no action was taken.

“The division bench had on September 2, 2020, directed the respondent authorities concerned to treat this writ petition as a representation and to look into the grievances ventilated by the petitioner in accordance with law, rules, regulations and government policies applicable to the facts of the case. Court had also said that we expect that the respondent authorities concerned shall fill up the vacancies as early as possible and practicable,” Sahni’s petition adds.

It states that even the faculty association of IHBAS also took note of the situation on January 29, 2021 and highlighted their grievance regarding the shortage of doctors at 23%, which is leading to over-burdening the existing faculty.

FAI also noted that despite court directions to fill vacancies as early as possible, nothing has happened over five months later.

The National Medical Commission considering the assessment report dated August 31, 2020 declined to recommend the recognition of the DM (Neurology) Course of the Institute due to deficiencies of professor, associate professor and assistant professor, the plea submitted.