THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Health Department has once again come up with a strange proposal regarding the choosing of the right person as the Director of the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC). Health Department's Additional Chief Secretary Rajan Khobragade has given a written instruction to the search committee that all the additional professors at RCC can be promoted to professors, and they can apply for the post of director.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) had initially waived the requirement that the person applying for the post of director should have worked as a professor and the head of any department for five years. A search committee was also formed to find a director under this new criterion. This new relaxation came following that.

The new proposal comes at a time when the government has not yet decided to promote additional professors at RCC to professors. The recommendation before the government is to evaluate the performance of those who have completed seven years in the post of additional professor and make them professors. The suggestion has not received government approval.

It's alleged that the director position is being pre-arranged for a particular individual, raising questions about fairness and impartiality.

Currently, there are about 50 additional professors in RCC.

It is learnt that new moves are being made following the certainty that this policy breach will be legally scrutinised, and steps are taken to overcome this. It is alleged that the intervention of some high-ranking officials in the health department is behind this.

Medical Commission criteria

1. According to the NMC regulations, those who have been in the field of cancer treatment for 20 years and have worked in the field of study and research for 10 years as a professor or associate professor is eligible for the post of director.

2. Out of these, they should have been the head of any department for five years as a professor.

All this was thrown into the wind, and the criteria were relaxed.

Experts will withdraw

People of international repute always expressed interest in becoming the head of RCC. However, it is reported that these people will withdraw after the permission was given to additional professors to apply as professors. Those who join RCC as assistant professors will become additional professors in the eighth year.