Chandigarh, March 1 -- Dr Ravneet Kaur has been appointed the director principal of GovernmentMedical College and Hospital, Sector 32. The appointment was approved on Saturday by UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria. She previously headed the transfusion department at the hospital. This is for the first time in UT's history that the administration has set aside seniority and made the selection on the basis of merit. A high-powered committee under the chief secretary interviewed a panel of the five senior-most doctors from the hospital. Based on the interaction, Dr Kaur, the second-most senior faculty member, was selected following the completion of former director principal GP Thami's tenure. Seniority-wise, Dr Dasari Harish, currently serving as medical superintendent and due to retire in the next five months, was next in line for the post. Dr Kaur had joined GMCH-32 in 2000 as a senior resident and became a faculty member in 2004. She has been heading the transfusion department since 2014. Expressing gratitude to the administration, she assured to work towards strengthening and streamlining patient-care services while raising the academic standards of the medical college. When asked about allegations of staff crunch and poor patient care, she said, "I will first inspect the ground situation and take action accordingly."...