Pune: The turmoil at B.J. Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital continues, with the dean's position resembling a game of musical chairs. Following the forced leave of then-Dean Dr. Vinayak Kale in May, Dr. Chandrakant Mhaske was given additional charge. Now, just three weeks later, Dr. Eknath Pawar has replaced Dr. Mhaske. This frequent turnover highlights the disarray within the medical education department.

Last month, two Sassoon doctors were arrested for allegedly tampering with blood samples in the Kalyani Nagar accident case involving a minor. Due to the improper handling of this case, Dr. Vinayak Kale was placed on mandatory leave.

Subsequently, Dr. Chandrakant Mhaske, Dean of Pune's Ahilyadevi Holkar Government Medical College in Baramati, was given additional charge of Sassoon on May 30. However, within three weeks, Dr. Mhaske was relieved of this responsibility.

The new additional charge has been assigned to Dr. Eknath Pawar, a professor from the Orthopedics Department at J.J. Medical College in Mumbai. The medical education department claims this change was made for administrative reasons.

However, the frequent changes in deanship are affecting the management of B.J. Medical College and Sassoon Hospital. With the dean's position constantly in flux, there is a lack of effective leadership, impacting both staff oversight and patient care.

The recurring changes at the helm are causing significant disruption, underscoring the need for stable and consistent leadership to ensure the hospital's effective operation and patient care.

In the past year alone, Sassoon General Hospital has seen four deans. Dr. Sanjeev Thakur was removed in November last year following the Lalit Patil escape incident.

He was succeeded by Dr. Vinayak Kale, who was placed on forced leave in May this year. Dr. Chandrakant Mhaske then took over as interim dean, only to be replaced by Dr. Eknath Pawar within three weeks.