[Assam] Dr Ramesh Ch Deka new chief of AIIMS (The Assam Tribune, 11.03.2009)

[Buljit Buragohain]

Dr Ramesh Ch Deka new chief of AIIMS
 Spl Correspondent

 NEW DELHI, March 10 – Ending months of uncertainty, Dr Ramesh Chandra
Deka was formally appointed as the new director of the country’s
prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Profusely
thanking the people of Assam and Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, he said
he would try and work out a mechanism to facilitate the huge number of
patients, the institutions receives from the North-east. He formally
took charge after he received his official orders from the Union Health
and Family Welfare Ministry.

Appointment of new director ran
into controversy and saw hectic lobbying by all the candidates. Though
a panel of three names were referred to the Cabinet Committee of
Appointments, Dr Deka’s name was short-listed and pending clearances
for over six months. A vigilance inquiry against him for allegedly not
following rule during purchase of cochlear implants, reportedly stalled
his appointment.

Despite being cleared by the vigilance
department, the Prime Minister’s Office took no chance and held up the
appointment. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister and MPs hailing from the
Region petitioned the Prime Minister to announce his appointment. Dr
Deka had been running from pillar to post meeting officials explaining
his position. 

Deka, 60, who is the head of the ENT department
since 1995,was appointed director for the next five years or till
further orders are issued. The tenure of the director is for a period
of five years or the age of 65 years.

Dr  TD Dogra was the acting director of the institute since the last director,  Dr P. Venugopal, retired in July last year.

Deka
was appointed as dean of the institute since 2006. Hailing from Assam,
Deka did his MBBS from Gauhati Medical College in 1969 and MS (ENT)
from AIIMS in 1973 and joined the faculty position in AIIMS in 1981. 

He
has undergone training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore,
Maryland and at the Yale University Medical Center in New Haven,
Connecticut

In 1996, he went to Australia to undergo training in
cochlear implant surgery at the Melbourne University and the Bionic Ear
Institute in Melbourne. An accomplished ENT surgeon and a reputed
teacher, he has performed over 200 cochlear implant surgeries,
including 160 in children.

Talking to this newspaper, he was
happy on being appointed as the new director. “I being a man from
Assam, is proud to be appointed as the head of this premier institution.

(The Assam Tribune,11.03.2009)



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