4 min readPuneMay 30, 2024 02:26 AM IST
First published on: May 30, 2024 at 02:26 AM IST
Dr Vinayak Kale, Dean, B J Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital, on Wednesday said he had no role to play in the appointment of Dr Ajay Taware as medical superintendent at the hospital. “I have followed instructions of our medical education minister,” Dr Kale said at a press conference in the evening before the Dean was asked by the government to proceed on leave.
While Dr Kale gave details of the actions taken by him as Dean of B J Government Medical College in the Pune Porsche car case, he denied any involvement in appointing the controversial Dr Taware as medical superintendent. It may be recalled that Dr Taware’s name has been cropping up in various controversies including in the alleged malpractice in the kidney transplant procedure a few years ago and recently when he was removed from the post in April this year over the rat-bite incident case.
Dr Taware was medical superintendent for nearly 8 years. He was asked to step down from the post in 2022 following the alleged kidney malpractice case. He went back to the forensic department where he is the Professor and Head. In the past two years, at least five medical superintendents have taken charge. After Dr Kale took charge, a decision was taken to reinstate Dr Taware as medical superintendent.
When Dr Kale was asked about the appointment, especially as Dr Taware faces various allegations, he said (without mentioning the name of Hasan Mushrif) that he had only obeyed the instructions of State Medical Education Minister.
“There is already a letter that has been floating on social media related to the issue,” Dr Kale added. However, when reporters repeatedly asked which MLA had submitted the letter that had recommendations from the State Medical Education Minister to appoint Dr Taware as medical superintendent, Dr Kale said it was Sunil Tingre (Vadgaon Sheri MLA).
He also denied that norms of National Medical Commission were flouted regarding the appointment. “As per the norms, the medical superintendent has to be at the level of a Professor and at that time Dr Kiran Kumar Jadhav who held charge was associate professor,” Dr Kale said. “Hence, based on what our minister recommended, I issued an executive order as Dean to appoint Dr Taware,” Kale said, and hit back at reporters for repeatedly asking the same question. On being asked about Hasan Mushrif’s role, Kale snapped and said, “He has made his remark. Now why are you asking the same question again and again,” he said.
‘I was not aware of details of the case till May 27’
Dr Kale said he was not aware of any details of the case till the morning of May 27 when he was informed that Dr Taware and Dr Halnor have been arrested. “I got the letter from police about charges related to alleged blood sample tampering and immediately I asked my team to check the matter and submit a written response which has been sent to the government. The government also set up a committee that has undertaken a detailed investigation,” Dr Kale said, adding he had to handle around 30 departments at the college.
“There are able professors and staffers and casualty medical officers are being monitored by the medical superintendent and deputy medical superintendent who are important officers,” he said, when reporters asked him about owning moral responsibility for the action. “Managing an institution is team work. I am a very honest and sincere officer and work at the institution from 9 am till 9 pm, moving around in the casualty and monitoring the situation. Unfortunately such incidents do occur,” Dr Kale added. Dr Kale, however, refused to respond to the barrage of questions and walked out of the press conference.
On Monday, the police arrested two Sassoon doctors Dr Ajay Taware, Dr Shrihari Halnor and a Sassoon staffer Atul Ghatkamble on the charges of destruction of evidence by changing the sample collected from the minor. (Express file photo) 
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