All AIIMS Institutes to Have One Governing Council like IITs
- Currently, all the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have a common governing council.
- On the lines of IITs, the government wants to bring out a common governing council for AIIMS institutes.
The centre is planning to have a common governing council for all AIIMS or All India Institutes of Medical Sciences across the country. Currently, all the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have a common governing council. On the lines of IITs, the government wants to bring out a common governing council for AIIMS institutes. A committee constituted by the government to study the governance structure of new AIIMS recommended an organisation for framing common policies in terms of administration, equipment procurement guidelines, recruitment and HR. M.K. Bhan Former Secretary in Department of Biotechnology was the head of the committee.
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Besides AIIMS New Delhi, a total number of six AIIMS are functioning in:
- Rishikesh
- Patna
- Raipur
- Jodhpur
- Bhopal
- Bhubaneswar
Recently, the government also announced the establishment of 14 new AIIMS in various states/ locations.
According to the observations made by M.K. Bhan committee, the role of Health Ministry is limited. The Health Ministry must play a significant role in policymaking, extending financial and budgetary support to AIIMS. However, the Health Ministry has been interfering in various executive functions of AIIMS and carrying out day-to-day affairs to an undesirable level. The current situation will lead to adverse consequences for both the ministry as well as institutes. Therefore, there must be a separate governing council for these premier medical institutes.
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According to stipulated norms, at least two governing body and two institute body meetings must take place at each AIIMS. As per the current scenario, Health Minister is the President of every AIIMS, and he will have to attend around 63 meetings every year, which is not possible in reality.
Therefore, constituting a separate governing body will keep the minister away from the regular affairs of all the AIIMS. Through the separate governing body, the minister can act the chairperson of the council and take major decisions related to policies.
The committee also suggested draft amendments in the current AIIMS Act, Rules and Regulations for setting up the governing body. The committee also suggested the increase in the retirement age of the director and other faculty members to 67 years.