A Comparison of AIIMS, PGI and JIPMER

Well what you have told about the quota about the Pondy students is logical for JIPMER becoming a national institute but this is not the right time to say that. The carrot always come in front of the stick.
Striking people and political mobsters have relented and they met the Govt asking even a greater share for local students. The void of expression from the students community is playing into their hands. Once JIPMER becomes autonomous and the dust settles down then the time comes to change the quota structure, better done with the opening of Pondy Govt Medical college.

yes, Suman. You read my mind! Hope the Union Govt eliminates the Pondy quota asap. But that will remain a dream, as long as Ramadoss is in power. I guess he will try to increase the quota to get votes in Puducherry for the PMK.

i think that autonomy for JIPMER is an excellent decision by the health minister. keeping aside the quotas etc , the autonomy will definitely be helpful in developement of the institute.

While AIIMS and PGI are highly reputed and sought after institutes both by students and faculty, JIPMER is a punishment posting and a tool of harrassment in the hands of bureaucrats. they push unwilling faculty members working in CGHS to JIPMER, THUS CAUSING GREAT MENTAL AGONY , HARRASSMENT AND Disruption in the family life of these faculty members. subsequently either these faculty members either resign or try for transfer back to CGHS or are lured by highly paying local/ national medical colleges.
making jipmer autonomous will result in
1) entry of best and willing faculty members
2) entry of more number of local highly qualified people , who are conversant with local language and culture; it is an undeniable fact that in CGHS SELECTION PROCEDURE by UPSC south indian faculty aspirants are at considerable disadvantage.
Consequently the faculty will be encouraged to stay and develop the institute.
i praise the union minister's intentions and the effort in this direction. this is an honest acceptance of facts which will be a watershed event and cause immense developement of the institute to a level higher than AIIMS or PGI

Thats a very valid point, Dr. Saxena! Thanks for sharing your view. I dint think about this issue from the faculty's point of view..

dr saxena has given a valid point. faculty is backbone of an institute and not the buildings or costly equipment.a dedicated faculty satisfied with the working environment is a must for the institute. distant old world bureaucrats and politicians destroy the institutions whereas autonomy in power and policies nourishes them.
time has come when most of the institutions of higher learning have to be given considerable autonomy if this country strives to be part of a knowledge based society.
students and faculty should decide the fate of the institute and not the other employees who are auxillary. otherwise we will see the demise of an potentially excellent medical institution.
please make the discussion in this blog heard if possible.

Well said, Dr. Usha. And I'm surprised [as well as pleased] that so many doctors are coming forth and commenting on this topic. Hope that the discussion continues!

I would like to elucidate the issues surrounding the autonomy to JIPMER discussion in this blog.
JIPMER is considered a prestigious institution attracting best students from the southern states of India.
(A)From a students perspective; when a new entrant comes his/her aspirations are quite high and fulfilled also to a considerable extent by the institution. But what a student doesn't know is that in spite of the standards being considered better than other known neighboring institutions he/she is not getting a deal that he deserves and is not of world standards simply because of administrative bottlenecks. Also:
1) There is a tremendous lack of faculty in critical basic sciences and in super specialties. This although not overt because of heroic efforts by the faculty members, causes hardship to the present faculty and compromises the standards.
2) There is a long loop of bureaucratic action leading to lesser flexibility in teaching patterns and curriculum. It becomes difficult to introduce newer concepts of teaching and the institute becomes a glorified replica of the common medical colleges. JIPMER should have been a leader and provided a model to rest of medical colleges and even the MCI.
Autonomy is a simple and powerful solution to the above problems.

(B) From the faculty's perspective autonomy is again extremely beneficial as it protects them considerably from bureaucratic harassment and humiliation. Compulsory shifting of CGHS faculty to JIPMER results in a considerable drag upon the teaching quality of CGHS medical colleges and JIPMER also. This is because of the reasons that I have discussed earlier.
The faculty working in JIPMER gets CGHS scales which are ridiculously low according to today's standards and market value. Post of Assistant professor as per the requirements entails studying, education and experience totaling minimum 15 years. He gets a CGHS salary of meager INR 23000/- pm. In AIIMS starting salary is approximately INR 39000/- when all allowances are added. Not to mention international experience provided and funding available. In private medical colleges, salary plus perks total more than 50000/- in present day scene.
Academically the JIPMER faculty is also disadvantaged as compared to AIIMS and PGIMER faculty. There is no emphasis on research or any benefit of hard work. Considerable stress is laid in the later two institutions upon the research publications, conferences and books etc at the time of recruitment and promotion, whereas, in JIPMER it is an automatic promotion system. There is less encouragement for research and a meager funding subject to tight red tapism.
The faculty here is either working towards transfer back to Delhi (at there family station) or is less integrated with society resulting in suboptimal teaching, patient care and instability. Few stable faculty members are overloaded with work and enticed by private institutions giving good salaries.
Autonomy will result in recruitment of faculty by an institutional board, selection of relatively stable local faculty (I am not encouraging localism but emphasizing practical approach), appropriate pay structure and emphasis on academics.

(C) Similarly patients of a large catchment area surrounding the JIPMER are subjected to hardships. These hapless people expecting better return for the taxpayer money expect good tertiary level care. An autonomous AIIMS like institute free from state/ central govt. clutches will provide an excellent referral center along with confidence to the population. Super specialty care is possible only if good salary to the DM and MCH people are given. They can't be expected to work at INR 23000/- pm. Even the salaries of professors or associate professors are also not satisfactory and are peanuts.

(D) The administration here is weak in absence of autonomy along with a long bureaucratic process. Absence of faculty's or students' voices also is significant. The political parties are misguiding the employees due to their vested interests. It is also indicative of our political system where even good intentions and actions are opposed for paltry benefits. Anyhow intelligentsia and academic are nowhere to be heard in the whole drama. Maybe politicians have their own medical colleges in puducherry and don't want JIPMER as a developed and shining institute providing excellent free/ subsidized medical care and eroding their own profit margins.
Autonomy is also another aspect of central govt. policy to improve medical education and care as is evidenced by sanctioning of large number of regional AIIMS like institutions.
Employees who are politicized and unionized and creating an environment of fear and intimidation should accept the practical reality. Any talks regarding availing of present or even more benefits can be done under autonomous institutes' framework. The frog in the well mentality should be discarded and pragmatism encouraged to benefit all.

I had visited pondicherry in September and seen JIPMER strike. I was surprised and thought how stupid a matter this is to go on a strike.
Cabinet decision regarding autonomy to JIPMER should be appreciated and welcomed. Union health minister Ramdoss is less likely to get same berth after next elections. Moreover Tamilnadu politics can't be (never be) expected to be as influential in next central govt. as it is now because of changing national political dynamics. This is a golden opportunity for the JIPMER to get a good deal putting it on same pedestal as the AIIMS or PGI. Otherwise you will regret and resign yourself to remain as a backwater institute getting second grade treatment/ raw deal for a very long time.
Backing out at this moment and yielding to the pressure of a few employees will damage the institute . It will also be a slap in the face of the govt. and ramdoss who will be seen as weak and spineless individual by his own constituency.
We in assam have worked hard to get AIIMS and want it to be autonomous.

Dr. Saxena, you said it. That post summed the situation in a nutshell. Beautiful! Keep commenting..

Arshee, I agree with you. But the Administration is unwilling to express their stand. What can be done? And now the issue has gone to the Madras High Court. Only after the deliberations there, will the JIPMER Autonomy Act be able to be passed. Till then, we can wait.. for an eternity, it seems to me.