IMA, DMA support Rotatory Headship demand by AIIMS, PGIMER faculty bodies

Time of India

17-07-2025

New Delhi: The
Indian Medical Association
(IMA) and the
Delhi Medical Association
(DMA) have extended support to the joint representation made by the Faculty Association of
AIIMS
(FAIMS), Delhi, and the Faculty Association of
PGIMER
, Chandigarh, for the implementation of
Rotatory Headship
in these institutions.
In a letter to Union Health Minister J P Nadda, the IMA said it has received an email from FAIMS and FA-PGIMER on the issue and emphasised that this reform is a long-standing recommendation of various internal committees and has already been adopted successfully by leading national institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), JIPMER, NIMHANS, BHU and CMC Vellore, among others.
"IMA extends its full support for the joint representation made by the Faculty Association of AIIMS (FAIMS), New Delhi and the Faculty Association of PGIMER, Chandigarh, requesting the implementation of Rotatory Headship in their respective institutions, as directed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in July 2023," the letter said.
Globally, this model of
democratic academic leadership
is a standard practice in universities of international repute, including Oxford and Harvard, it stated.
"We believe that timely action on this matter will not only uphold the principles of
academic equity
and transparency but also reinforce India's commitment to global best practices in institutional governance," the letter by IMA on Tuesday said.
The DMA, in its letter to Nadda, said that despite nearly a year of having passed, the policy remains unimplemented.
"This prolonged delay has demoralized dedicated faculty, caused institutional stagnation, and undermined the principles of fairness and accountability in academic leadership," it said.
The DMA sought the enforcement of the MoHFW directive from July 2023 at the earliest.
"Institutionalize Rotatory Headship as a national policy for all centrally funded and NMC-recognized medical Institution in India," it said.
Both the Faculty Association of AIIMS, Delhi (FAIMS), and the Faculty Association of PGIMER, Chandigarh (FA-PGIMER), have been demanding immediate implementation of Rotatory Headship -- a democratic and transparent leadership system -- long overdue at these premier institutions.