Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) has suspended more than 200 newly recruited employees. Around 25 doctors who were promoted in the general pool have also been sent back to their original departments at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital.
The move comes after the university's board of management (BoM) raised objections to the appointments. The board said the appointments violated university rules and regulations. The controversy centers on appointments made during the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor Dr Rajeev Sood.
Board of management flags rule violations in BFUHS appointments
The board of management met on August 11 and objected to the appointments. According to The Tribune, the BoM said the appointments violated university rules and regulations. The board ordered a case-by-case review by a committee to "ensure equity and justice".
The allegations against the appointments include:
- Appointments made without sanctioned posts
- Appointments made without budgetary approval
- Creation of Group A positions such as research officers and assistant professors in departments
Doctors repatriated to original departments at medical college
Around 25 doctors who had been promoted in the general pool have been repatriated. They are being sent back to their original departments at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital. This is part of the university's effort to undo appointments that the board found problematic.
The university is now reviewing each case individually. The committee will look at every appointment to decide whether it was made properly. The goal, according to the board, is to ensure fairness in the process.
Our Take: Accountability matters in public health institutions
To put it plainly, this is a necessary step. When a public university makes appointments that violate its own rules, it cannot simply move on. The suspension of 200 recruits and repatriation of 25 doctors sends a clear message that rules matter.
At the same time, the case-by-case review is the right approach. Not every appointment may be problematic. Some recruits may have been hired properly, and they should not suffer because of others' mistakes. The committee's job is to separate the valid appointments from the invalid ones.
The bigger issue here is how such large-scale appointments happened without proper approval in the first place. A university that trains health professionals must itself follow the highest standards of governance. The review committee's findings will be important — not just for those affected, but for the credibility of the institution.
Those who were suspended deserve a fair and quick hearing. And the university must ensure that this kind of situation does not repeat itself. Rules exist for a reason, and institutions that ignore them lose public trust.
