NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) has called for a meeting of the Dr VK Paul-headed committee tasked with implementing the rotatory headship system at premier medical institutes AIIMS Delhi and PGI Chandigarh.
The move comes in the wake of continued protests by faculty members over the delay in enforcing the rotation policy more than a year after it was ordered to be implemented last year.
According to officials, the Health Ministry has put-up efforts to implement a rotational system for department heads after doctors at AIIMS Delhi staged a demonstration, demanding urgent action. The committee—constituted in 2023—comprises NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul, former AIIMS director Dr MC Mishra, and noted cardiologist Dr KK Talwar. As per officials, the latest meeting is expected to take stock of the situation and lay down a roadmap for the rollout of the rotational headship system.
The committee had earlier recommended that a collegium system be introduced to enable a fair and transparent process of rotation. Currently, department heads at both AIIMS and PGI hold office until the age of 62, a structure that faculty members argue limits opportunities for others to take on administrative leadership roles.
Faculty associations at both institutions have repeatedly raised concerns about the prolonged delay in implementing the new policy, which the central government had supported in principle.
“It was formally communicated that the rotatory headship policy would be implemented in AIIMS and PGI Chandigarh from June 2024. Despite this, no tangible steps have been taken toward its enforcement. Multiple rounds of dialogue with the Health Ministry have taken place. However, the Health minister has not granted us an audience and the matter is being repeatedly deferred without justification,” a member of the Faculty Association of AIIMS said.