‘Charak Shapath’ Row: Madurai Medical College Dean To Be Reinstated by TN Govt

The visuals of students taking the Sanskrit oath instead of the Hippocratic Oath had been widely shared.

The visuals of students taking the Sanskrit oath instead of the Hippocratic Oath have been widely shared on social media. 

(Photo TNM/Video Screenshot)

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian said on Wednesday, 4 May, that A Rathinavel, removed two days earlier from his post as the dean of Madurai Medical College, will be reinstated.

The dean had been removed on 2 May after a video showing first-year students taking the Maharshi Charak Shapath in Sanskrit in place of the Hippocratic Oath came to light.

The visuals of students taking the Sanskrit oath had been widely publicised on social media.

Reports suggested that Rathinavel had offered an explanation to the health minister regarding the matter, after which the announcement of his reinstatement was made.

Health Minister Subramanian had said earlier that the government had ordered a detailed probe into the matter, and that action would be taken over the violation of long-standing policies and practices.

"We have also written to all medical institutions in the state to follow the traditional Hippocratic Oath. This government will not allow a departure from this convention," Subramanian added.

'NMC Recommendation on Charak Shapath Was a Circular, Not An Order' 

This comes after the National Medical Commission (NMC) suggested to medical colleges to give their students the Charak Shapath instead of the Hippocratic Oath. However, many doctors had expressed concerns about its regressive and casteist nature.

Meanwhile, the director of medical education in the state, Narayan Babu, said on Tuesday that the college had violated two instructions.

"The Madurai Medical College violated instructions from the state health department and the Director of Medical Education (DME) to get clarification on any new/fake circular from the department and to follow a routine process of admission issued in February," he said.

Commenting on the recommendation by the NMC to use the Charak Shapath while administering oath to medical students, Babu clarified that it was only a circular, and not an order.

What is The Charak Shapath? 

The Charak Shapath is a passage in the Sanskrit text on Ayurveda called Charaka Samhita. It is believed to have been composed between 100 BCE and 200 CE.

The Shapath is written in the form of instructions delineated by a teacher to prospective students of medicine. According to the text, the unconditional agreement to abide by these instructions is a necessary precondition to be eligible to study medicine.

The passage also prescribes the ideal conduct to be practised by a doctor with their patients and their teacher, and forbids the swearer from entertaining thoughts of "lust, greed, or wealth."

Earlier, Tamil Nadu's Finance Minister Thiaga Rajan, who was present during the ceremony, had shared a copy of the oath taken by the students in Madurai.