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Rediff.com  » Business » Escorts Institute: Trehan sacked, humiliated

Escorts Institute: Trehan sacked, humiliated

May 19, 2007 13:32 IST
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Tension broke out at the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre (EHIRC) on Saturday morning with angry relatives of patients protesting the management's decision to prevent renowned cardiologist Naresh Trehan from entering the hospital premises.

Trehan, who on Thursday dubbed as "nonsense" the announcement by Fortis Healthcare (the owners of EHIRC) that he has left the company, was stopped at the gates by the security guards on Saturday morning.

When contacted, Trehan said it was the relatives and family members of the patients who came out in support of him and wanted him to perform surgeries.

"My job is to take care of patients. It was the relatives of those patients on whom serious surgeries had to be done who got worried. Since early morning they have been calling up at my home,"  he said. Later, after making his way into the hospital premises, Trehan said: "I'm going for an operation now."

Fortis Healthcare on Friday announced that Naresh Trehan has relinquished office as executive director of EHIRC to pursue his Medicity project in Gurgaon (Haryana).

"He (Trehan) now leaves EHIRC to concentrate on his (Medicity) venture. He continues to be a 10 per cent shareholder in EHIRC," a statement by Fortis said.

Dr Naresh TrehanReacting sharply, Trehan, who holds 10 per cent stake in EHIRC, debunked the announcement saying that he had not quit nor Fortis management had talked to him before making any such announcement, a claim contested by Fortis officials.

"What nonsense, I am not going to quit, I have my patients to attend to," Trehan told PTI.

'Conflict of interest'

However, on Saturday, the Fortis management cited "conflict of interest" between Naresh Trehan's Medicity project and its Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre (EHIRC) for removing the cardiologist -- who was given the humiliation treatment by the hospital's security guards.

"We have terminated his (Trehan's) administrative powers and have asked him to give up his responsibilities. He ceases to be an executive director at any of the EHIRC institutions," Fortis Hospitals managing director Shivinder Mohan Singh told reporters in New Delhi.

He said Trehan's rights to operate on patients have been withdrawn since on Friday and he will be given "limited entry" till all the patients registered under him are treated.

EHIRC security guards, however, prevented Trehan from entering the hospital premises this morning and allowed him to enter only after relatives of patients staged a protest.

When contacted, Trehan said family members of patients wanted him to perform surgeries.

"My job is to take care of patients. It was the relatives of those patients on whom serious surgeries had to be done who got worried. Since early morning they have been calling up at my home," he said.

Singh, however, said that the liability of such surgeries would fall on Trehan.

He reiterated that the cardiologist had been asked to give up his responsibilities as a doctor and administrator at the hospital, which Fortis acquired in 2005 from Rajan Nanda for Rs 585 crore (Rs 5.85 billion).

Singh, who holds a majority 90 per cent stake in EHIRC, however, denied any move to buy Trehan's 10 per cent stake in the institution.

"We have not asked for his stake in the hospital. He continues to be an investor with EHIRC," Singh said.

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