By IANS
New Delhi : The Indian government Thursday cast its net wide in its hunt for a new head for the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), saying it would welcome foreign applicants as it aims to take the institute to an international level.
Announcing the start of the selection process, Health Secretary Naresh Dayal said, “We are calling for nomination nationally and internationally.”
The decision to begin the process to look for the new director of one of Asia’s largest referral hospitals was taken Thursday after Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, who is the president of the institute, chaired meetings of the AIIMS’ two supreme decision-making panels – the governing body and the institute body.
The need to look for a new director arose after the previous director P. Venugopal was ousted after parliament through a legislation shortened his tenure.
After the over two-hour long meetings, Dayal told reporters that “since the process of selection and appointment of new director is likely to take some time (at least five to six months), the AIIMS Deputy Director Administration will be asked to begin the process of selection.”
He said acting Director T.D. Dogra, who is the head of the forensic sciences department, will continue to officiate in the post.
“He will continue to work until the appointment of the next candidate,” he said, adding that he could also apply for the post of the director.
He said the selection process has been started but the final decision to appoint the new director will be taken after the Supreme Court gives its final order.
The former director had approached the apex court after he was ousted from the post and the court had sent notice to the government seeking reasons for it rushing to parliament with the controversial legislation.
Dayal said BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra boycotted the institute body meeting on the issue of the health minister’s statement that Britain derecognised India’s medical degree after a doctor from Bihar was found at fault.
At the meetings, the members took a decision to implement the earlier pending decisions, including re-examination of a reserved category student who failed his medical examination and who had alleged discrimination on the ground that he belonged to a lower caste.
It was also decided that the health minister-appointed Sampath Kumar be re-instated as the head of the cardio-vascular and thoracic centre.