The Parliamentary Standing Committee on health has reprimanded Dr Ramadoss for coming out with a legislation proposing more ministerial control on the premier institute, tampering with its autonomy.
“The health minister and health secretary should remain out of any form of direct involvement in any of the institute bodies,” said the committee chairman Amar Singh.
The panel has rejected some of the bill’s provisions. These allow for more control to the minister and his officials over the JIPMER.
The legislation seeks to upgrade the Puducherry institute to the standards of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Education and Research (PGI) in Chandigarh.
The committee objected to Ramadoss’ interpretation of a SC judgement to nominate himself and the health secretary to the JIPMER governing body. It said, “By no stretch of imagination can it be said that the apex court has approved the separate nomination of the minister and the secretary to the institute body.” Another proposal to rope in two local MPs in the institute governing body was discarded by the panel. The proposal suggested that MPs from any part of the country would be eligible for being members.
“As JIPMER seeks to become an institution of national importance, it would be in the fitness of things if regional imbalance is not reflected in an institute having an all India status,” Mr Singh said. 
The standing committee report has “persuasive value” and is treated as “considered advice given by the committee” to the government. The government  generally accepts the recommendations.
Interestingly, the same Parliamentary committee had earlier turned down the health ministry’s proposed legislations to bring more ministerial control in the Medical Council of India, Homeopathy central Council and Indian Medicine Central Council.