SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, May 26: Widespread dissatisfaction has surfaced against the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Jharkhand state president, Dr. A.K. Singh, and secretary, Dr. Pradeep Kumar Singh, over allegations of favoritism.
Members claim that only doctors from Deoghar have been repeatedly preferred for nominations to the IMA national body committees, sidelining medical professionals from other districts.
District Members Raise Concerns About Unequal Representation
Several members from different IMA district branches have expressed frustration, pointing out that despite their active participation in IMA programs, doctors from other districts have not been nominated in the last two months. Instead, only Deoghar doctors have been selected for various key committees at the national level.
An IMA district branch secretary said, “The state president and secretary should have considered contributions from doctors across all districts before recommending Deoghar medicos for all committee posts.”
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Deoghar Doctors Dominate National Body Positions
In the past two months, four doctors from Deoghar have been nominated to the national IMA body from Jharkhand. These include Dr. D. Tiwari (Vice-President, Headquarters), Dr. R.N. Prasad, Dr. Gauri Shankar (Standing Committee), and Dr. Saurabh Varshney, AIIMS Deoghar Director (Tobacco Control Committee).
An IMA member emphasized, “All 24 districts contribute equally to the state’s medical fraternity. Every district’s doctors should be given fair opportunities, not just those from Deoghar. The state president and secretary must keep this in mind.”
Opposition to AIIMS Deoghar Director’s Nomination
Members across Jharkhand have voiced specific objections to the nomination of Dr. Saurabh Varshney, AIIMS Deoghar director, citing his limited contribution to the state’s IMA activities. They pointed out that he has been in the state only since 2019, raising questions about his selection.
Sources explained that typically, the national body seeks nominations from the state chapter for awards or committee positions. However, this time Delhi appears to have overlooked Ranchi and chosen doctors from Deoghar, which some believe may be possibly to leverage these selections during worship at Baba Baidyanath Dham.
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IMA State Leaders Deny Full Responsibility for Selections
Dr. A.K. Singh and Dr. Pradeep Kumar Singh denied recommending all four doctors. They claimed they had only proposed Dr. D. Tiwari for the Vice-President position, while the national body independently selected the other three without consulting the state IMA.
They acknowledged receiving protests from district members and said, “The national body did not consult the Jharkhand IMA before making these selections, so there was little we could do.”
Jharkhand IMA Sends Protest to National Leadership
Responding to the growing dissent among members, the IMA Jharkhand president and secretary have sent a formal protest email to the IMA national president and secretary regarding the nomination process. Sources also reveal that Dr. Pradeep Kumar Singh has personally discussed the issue with the national president, urging reconsideration.
