Thiruvananthapuram: Dr P.S. Jinesh, contract lecturer with Government Medical College, Kottayam, was given marching orders for raising the issue of MCI threatening to scrap the recognition of MBBS seats. The doctor, who has been in the forefront campaigning for the improvement of medical education and medical college hospitals in the state, was asked by the principal to put in his papers. The direction came in the wake of his statement to the media regarding the MCI decision to scrap 150 MBBS seats in the Kottayam medical college.
The principal summoned him on October 5 and threatened to terminate his contract. The doctor explained the circumstances under which he had highlighted the issue which concerned the future of MBBS students.
Dr Jinesh said he had not said anything against the authorities or the government but expressed his concern over the MCI decision. Allegations were levelled from certain quarters that he had brought a bad name to the medical college.
However, the doctor said that the media had contacted him to seek his opinion on the issue. “I had only stated that if urgent steps are not taken the MBBS seats might lose recognition and hence it has to be prevented at any cost in the interest of the students,” he said.
The doctor who himself is awaiting recognition for his PG (forensic) since 2014 had been fighting along with others in the courts for justice.
Dr Jinesh led a sustained campaign in favour of MR vaccination. He had aired live messages using Facebook to convey the significance of the vaccine. Dring these chats, he demolished the arguments of the anti-vaccine lobby.
His online messages were well received by people on the social media. Besides MR vaccination, the doctor has been leading several other campaigns in the health sector. Kottayam medical college principal Dr Jose Joseph was not available for comments.
