Medical college students take 'Charak' oath in Sanskrit instead of Hippocratic oath; dean suspended

The dean of a state-run medical college was relieved of his post and put on waiting list as 'Maharshi Charak Shapath' instead of the Hippocratic oath was administered to new students and a departmental inquiry has been ordered, the government said on Sunday.

At the Madurai Government Medical College, instead of the Hippocratic Oath, the Maharshi Charak Shapath was administered on Saturday to the newly admitted students and this is 'strongly condemnable', an official release here said.

Hence, the Madurai college dean Dr A Rathinavel was relieved of his post and is placed on waiting list, the government said.

Also, a departmental inquiry has been ordered for violation of rule and unilaterally making students to take the Charaka oath. The action has been ordered by Health Minister Ma Subramanian.

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The government said it would advise heads of all state-run medical colleges through a circular to always follow the Hippocratic oath without fail.

The National Medical Commission had recently recommended that the Maharshi Charak Shapath should replace the Hippocratic oath. According to new guidelines, "Modified Maharshi Charak Shapath is recommended when a candidate is introduced to medical education." Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had said in Parliament that 'Maharshi Charak Shapath' would be optional and not forced on medical students.

Charaka Shapath or Charaka oath, is a passage from the 'Charaka Samhita.' It is a guideline, like dos and don'ts, by a teacher to fresh medical students. The Samhita is a Sanskrit text on Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine. The Hippocratic Oath is an ethical code attributed to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates and it is widely used.