Health Min no longer chairman of all AIIMS

New Delhi: In a major move aimed at fast-tracking the functioning of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the government has decided to remove Union Health Minister from the post of chairperson of AIIMS's governing body, which is the apex body of the premier institute that approves key proposals related to policy matters.

According to sources, the decision in this regard has been taken to smoothen the

functioning of all the new AIIMS as due to 'unavailability' of Health Minister to chair the Board meeting has delayed decision-making process.

However, the Health Minister would continue to be the Chairperson of AIIMS-Delhi for the time being.

According to a senior official, now all the new AIIMS would be headed by either celebrated doctors or noted health professionals as like IIMs and IITs and the Health Ministry has already finalised the names of chairpersons of 10 new AIIMS.

"Following the existing practice of AIIMS-Delhi, the Health Minister was also made chairperson of all the new AIIMS. The ministry experienced that due to the busy schedules, sometimes the Union Health Minister was not available to chair the crucial board meeting of the AIIMS that delayed the decision-making process," the official said.

"The decision to appoint new chairpersons would enable the Governing Body of the AIIMS to take speedy decisions. The ministry has also appointed the new chairman of 10 new AIIMS, which include AIIMS in Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Rishikesh, Raipur, Patna, Jodhpur, Rae Bareli, Nagpur, Kalyani and Manglagiri. Their appointment letters are being issued," the official said, adding that the selection process of the chairman of five other AIIMS would be completed very soon. The Health Ministry is also working on a proposal to constitute a Central Institute Body (CIB) of AIIMS on the lines of IIT Council that would be headed by the Union Health Minister. As per the proposal, the mandate of the CIB would be to maintain coordination in all AIIMS and take decisions that would be implemented in all the AIIMS.