New drug trial rule leaves researchers in the lurch

LUCKNOW: The faculty forum of Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) is livid with the new rule, which will make researchers pay compensation instead of the institute in case any drug trial goes wrong.

Recently, PGI had amended its rules for drug trials. Earlier, the institute used to pay for any damage caused by a trial going wrong. In a meeting of PGI faculty forum held on Tuesday, doctors expressed concern over the step and decided to oppose the decision. The doctors said that the research topic gets approved after proper deliberations in the presence of professors.

In addition, the faculty forum also decided to protest against the decision of appointing professor of eminence in all the departments. These professors will retire at the age of 75 years.

The forum is set to take up all these matters with the director and press for speedy solutions.

FORUM AGAINST ‘PROF OF EMINENCE’ PROPOSAL

President of faculty forum, professor Ashok Kumar, has already opposed the proposal of appointing professor of eminence on the grounds that it is in clear conflict with the interests of the director of PGI. Resistance is also there as the director pushed the agenda in the governing body of the institute.

Those against the proposal said that the post of the director of PGI was a purely administrative post and it stood to no logic that the director should automatically be appointed as professor of eminence.

They added that academic performance in the international arena should be taken into account.