| Selection of new Director SKIMS inches closer | | Govt concludes interviews, appointment shortly | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, June 12: The government on Sunday concluded the 2-day screening test of applicants for the post of new Director, SK Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura here while the selection is likely to be announced within fortnight.
The screening committee headed by Chief Secretary BR Sharma, which met at Banquet Hall here, screened as many as 24 applicants for the post of new Director of SKIMS, the hospital marred by years of corruption and maladministration. The seat fell vacant on June 2, when the then Director, Dr Showkat Ali Zargar attained superannuation, while the government subsequently assigned the charge to Secretary Health & Medical Education Department, Dr MK Bhandari.
Sources said the file as prepared by the selection committee after interviewing the applicants would be sent to Chief Minister's Secretariat for Mehbooba Mufti's perusal. "Being the chairperson of the SKIMS Governing Body, she (Mehbooba) will have final word on the selection of the new director," the sources said.
Sources privy to the panel said of the 24-canditates, at least five are frontrunners and equally "enjoy good political patronage in the corridors of power." "But in some of the cases, the applicants have a bad service record including cases of corruption and private practice registered against them, while one of them is known as morally corrupt for his tenure at SKIMS," the sources said.
Though almost all the applicants are trying hard in the corridors of power to get the prestigious seat, the selection will remain a litmus test for the claims of honesty and integrity for the Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janta Party alliance.
Observers believe that the "selection process should be transparent if the government truly wants to end years of mismanagement at this hospital." "The selection should be based on merit. The applicant whose service tenure particularly research work has benefitted the homeland community should be given preference over those whose contribution remained restricted to symbolic paperwork for international journals," said a member for the SKIMS Governing Body, asking not to be named.
Official documents reveal that applicants who were interviewed include: Dr Khursheed Alam Wani at serial No 1, followed by, Dr Altaf Rehman Kirmani, Prof Imtiyaz Ahmad Naqash, Prof Muhammad Maqbool Lone, Dr Bashir Ahmad Laway, Prof Sarman Singh, Dr Showkat Ali Mufti, Prof Javed Chowdhary, Dr Sameer Hassan Naqash, Dr Parvaiz Ahmed Koul, Dr Syed Wajid Ali, Dr Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmed, Dr Dalip Kumar Kakru, Dr Abdul Majid Ganai, Dr Syed Amin Tabish and Dr Abdul Rashid Baddoo, respectively, all of whom were interviewed on June 11.
On Sunday, those who were interviewed include Dr AG Ahangar, Dr Mushtaq Ahmed Wani, Dr Gul Javaid, Dr Adil Hafeez Wani, Dr Sheikh Aejaz Aziz, Dr Altaf Umar Ramzan, Dr Ghulam Nabi Yattoo and Dr Omar Javed Shah.
Inviting all the applicants for the interview has already brought the selection process under scanner. Experts believe all the applicants should not have been called for interview because some have tainted service record, including cases of misconduct or corruption registered against them.
"Having invited all the applicants has left scope for favoritism because even those who have a tainted service record are eligible for the post," said a senior medico adding "the government should take the service record of applicants into consideration before taking any final decision." |
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