NEW DELHI: Despite overwhelming support for the demand of rotational headship at the departments of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Union Health Ministry has decided to go ahead with an alternative mechanism of the collegium system. Responding to a query raised by Janata Dal (U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh in the lower house on Friday, MoS (Health & Family Welfare) Bharati Pravin Pawar said “it has been decided to implement the collegium system for now” at AIIMS.
Sources said that the new system will replace the current arrangement of having a Head of the Department, who remains at the helm till the time of retirement. “The collegium system will be at place for a period of one year. Meanwhile, deliberation will continue over the pros and cons of the rotational headship proposal,” a ministry official told this newspaper.
In a recent survey conducted by a Health Ministry-constituted committee which NITI Aayog member Dr Vinod Paul chaired, around 78 per cent of faculty members in AIIMS, New Delhi and PGI Chandigarh favoured rotational headship. Of the total of 287 responses (155 from AIIMS and 132 from PGI), 228 faculty members backed rotatory headship in departments, 45 (16 per cent) were against it and only 17 (6 percent) wanted alternative mechanisms in place.
According to the collegium rules, a panel will be formed with members based on the size of the department. All decisions will be taken based on the majority instead of a single authority which is HoD in the current system. Officials said that the role of collegium will encompass various crucial aspects of the functioning of the department, including the development of a long-term strategic plan for growth, creation of an annual work plan that covers teaching, research, patient care services, allocation of funds, purchase of equipment, and preparation of the annual report.
Faculty associations of AIIMS and PGI Chandigarh have been demanding rotatory headship for over a decade now. “Seniors only a year or two away from headship have to wait for 10-15 years as the heads stick until they retire. Most of the aspirants from the faculty get left out,” said a doctor.
Composition of collegium