War of words erupts between Harsimrat, Mohindra over starting of MBBS classes

HARSIMRAT SAYS UNION HEALTH MINISTRY HAS GIVEN NOD FOR START OF COURSE, MOHINDRA SAYS PUNJAB GOVT

HAS RECEIVED NO LETTER YET

BATHINDA: Union food processing industry minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Punjab health minister Brahm Mohindra on Friday entered into a war of words over the launch of the first batch of AIIMS MBBS at Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot.

Harsimrat in a statement said that despite evidence on record that the Union health ministry has given its nod to start the first batch of MBBS at BFUHS, it was strange that the Congress government and its health minister were denying these developments.

She said, “Such politicisation of a pious cause could endanger the very existence of the temporary campus and could also result in cancellation of the seats, which have been approved.”

She asked the Congress government not to play politics with the future of the youth by derailing the start of the AIIMS Bathinda project by stalling initiation of classes of its first batch of MBBS.

Releasing a copy of the letter written by the Union health ministry to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) administration, she said the letter made it clear that it was the responsibility of the PGI, Chandigarh, as the mentor body of AIIMS, Bathinda to finalise the location of its temporary campus.

She said the letter also asked PGI to take necessary action on priority in consultation with the Punjab government to operationalise the campus.

However, Mohindra said that Harsimrat has issued an irresponsible statement, without checking the facts and figures.

He said the Punjab government has received no official communication either from PGIMER or from the Union health ministry regarding the operationalisation of temporary campus of AIIMS, Bathinda, at BFUHS.

“….The moment the Punjab government gets (such) a letter from PGI, it surely will readily and happily accept the decision of the government, which is in larger interest of students of Punjab and the country,” he said.

He also appealed the Union minister to “stop playing politics on such sensitive issues in which the future of youth of Punjab is involved”.