Brushing off local dentists
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 14, 2013 -
The question and finger of accusation that have been raised over the appointment of two dental doctors from Andhra Pradesh working in a private hospital there as advisors to the just instituted Manipur State Dental Registration Tribunal is really unfortunate, to say the least.
Paving the way for constitution of the long awaited Manipur State Dental Council, the institution of Manipur State Dental Registration Tribunal was finally announced by an order issued by Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare), Government of Manipur Dr Suhel Akhtar on August 5 last.
Everyone welcomed the said order as a good step as it would ensure not only uniform standards of dental education, but also proper regulation of the training, examination and qualification of the dentists/dental hygienists in the State as well.
But, startlingly, a day after the first order, another order came from the Principal Secretary to convey the pleasure of Governor of Manipur over the appointment or engagement of Dr Revathi P, Professor and Head of the Department of Orthodontics, Sibar Institute of Dental Sciences, Andhra Pradesh and Dr B Venkat Ramana Reddy, Vice Principal, Professor & Head of Department of Oral Pathology, also in the same Sibar Institute of Dental Sciences, as advisors to the Manipur State Dental Registration Tribunal ‘with immediate effect and until public orders in public interest’, without any prior notification for such appointments, which should be the norms.
Now, the question is, are there no qualified dental professionals in Manipur who could be appointed as advisors to the newly constituted Manipur State Dental Registration Tribunal?
And why, of all the places, two dental doctors who are working in the same private hospital in the far off Andhra Pradesh have been chosen as the advisors to Manipur State Dental Registration Tribunal? The State Government and its authorities concerned surely owe an explanation to the people of Manipur if this appointment/engagement has been made in their interest.
Leaving side the questions of whether or not there was any urgent necessity for such appointment/engagement of advisors to the just instituted Manipur State Dental Registration Tribunal in accordance to the existence terms and provisions as well as in accordance to the power conferred under sub-section (1) of Section 32 of the Dentists Act, 1948 (Amended in 1993) or not, the decision taken by the State Government to appoint/engage two dental doctors from outside has given the impression that there is no qualified or eligible dental professionals in Manipur who could be considered for the post, which is far from true.
So, the appointment of the two dental doctors from Andhra Pradesh as advisors to Manipur State Dental Registration Tribunal by brushing aside the qualified local dental professionals was surely an insult not only to them but also to the State as a whole.
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