Madurai Medical College dean, removed over students taking Charaka Shapath oath, reinstated
India Today
Dr Rathinavel, who was suspended from his position as dean of Madurai Medical College after first-year students took the Charaka Shapath oath, has been reinstated. Health minister Ma Subramanian made this announcement in the TN state assembly on Wednesday.
Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian has informed the State Assembly that Dr Rathinavel will be reinstated as the dean of Madurai Medical College. This was announced by the health minister on Wednesday, May 5. Dr Rathinavel was earlier removed from his position as dean after first-year students took the Charaka Shapath instead of the Hippocratic Oath on April 30.
The Charaka Shapath versus the Hippocratic Oath row came to the fore again on April 30. The induction ceremony of first year students of Madurai Medical College on Saturday took a controversial turn when they ended up taking an oath of the modified ‘Maharshi Charaka Shapath’ instead of the Hippocratic oath.
The Maharishi Charaka Shapath is an oath which is present in the ancient ayurvedic text, ‘Charaka Samhita’. The Maharishi Charaka Shapath has been criticised for being unsuitable to the ethics of modern medical practice.
The difference between the Maharishi Charaka Shapath and the Hippocratic oath is that the latter requires physicians to treat patients regardless of background and character, while the Charaka Shapath says, “No people who are hated by the king or who are haters of the king or who are hated by the public or who are haters of the public, shall receive treatment.”
Tamil Nadu finance minister, Thiaga Rajan, who was present at the ceremony, took to Twitter to share a copy of the oath read out by the medical students in Madurai.
And I see the usual Cultist suspects have started their lies (posting fake versions of the oath to show it was innocuous) and propaganda (claiming it had nothing non-scientific or retrograde)Just to remove any doubt, here is the version that was read out, which raised concern https://t.co/moWtUlCLye pic.twitter.com/SryxRjtwsx
