129th Standing Finance Committee meeting at PGIMER likely to be held on March 12

Chandigarh- After being postponed for the fifth time, the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has rescheduled its 129th meeting on March 12, a PGIMER official informed recently.

SFC plays a vital role in approving the appointment of PGIMER faculty and acquiring the necessary hardware for the hospital.

However, the SFC was earlier planned to be held on January 12, but it was postponed due to the vacancy of the post of Union Health Secretary, who usually chairs the meeting. Later it was handed over to Apoorva Chandra as an additional charge.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, PGI Medical Superintendent and official spokesperson Dr Vipin Kaushal confirmed the deferral of the SFC meeting and said that the meeting is likely to be held in March.

Institutions like AIIMS and PGI need to organise more than one SFC meeting every year. Consequently, the ongoing delay of the SFC meeting this year underscores the need for streamlined processes to ensure efficient decision-making for critical healthcare initiatives.

The SFC meeting is chaired by the Secretary to the Government of India, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Along with this, 10 more members are also included in the SFC meeting such as the Director General of Health Services, Government of India, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Member of Parliament Kirron Kher and Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University. Meanwhile, the PGI director Dr Vivek Lal serves as the member secretary for the committee.

The main agenda of the SFC meeting is to fill faculty posts in the department of telemedicine and procurement of hardware for Hospital Information System 2-IS (digitisation of patients' records etc.).

The last Standing Finance Committee meeting was held on April 07, 2023.