P Chidambaram defends Madurai Medical College Dean after Charak Shapath row

Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram defended the Madurai Medical College Dean. He said that many doctors have claimed that the student leader made this mistake without informing the medical college dean. He further said, "The people of Sivagangai district and I know that Dr. Ratanavelu, the Dean, did a great job at the Sivagangai General Hospital during the Corona period. He should not be held responsible if this error occurred without his knowledge. My concern is that people should not miss the service of a good, senior doctor."

Madurai Medical College dean removed from post after Charak Shapath row

Due to this controversy, the dean of Madurai Medical College was removed from the post. The event in which this shapath incident happened was attended by two state cabinet ministers triggered a controversy. After the visuals of students taking the Sanskrit oath at the ceremony went viral, the state government ordered the removal of A Rathinavel, the medical college dean.

MBBS students take Charak Shapath instead of Hippocratic Oath

A shocking incident was reported at Government Madurai Medical College where first-year MBBS students were made to recite the modified 'Maharshi Charak Shapath' instead of the conventional Hippocratic oath during their induction ceremony. To be noted that this oath has been allegedly made a part of the new MBBS curriculum. Sources at the institute have also alleged that they were not informed about this change, as the conventional Hippocratic oath was a norm. Tamil Nadu's Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan and Revenue Minister P Moorthy were present at the event. Thiagarajan claimed that he was shocked when the students recited the Charak Shapath.

What's the difference between Charaka Shapath & Hippocratic Oath?

Charaka Shapath or Charaka oath, a passage of text in Charaka Samhita which is the Sanskrit text on Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine), is a set of instructions by a teacher to prospective students of the science of medicine. The Hippocratic Oath, an ethical code attributed to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, is a widely adopted guideline to conduct medical profession throughout the ages and is still used in the graduation ceremonies of many medical schools.