Loss of Identity: AIIMS Faculty members object to renaming AIIMS Delhi

New Delhi: The Faculty Association of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (FAIMS) has expressed concern over the centre's proposal to rename all 23 AIIMS, including that in Delhi, based on regional heroes, freedom fighters, historical events or monuments of the area or their distinct geographical identity and contended that it would lead to loss of its identity.

The Faculty Association has written a letter to the members seeking an opinion with a reply within two days. 

"We at FAIMS seek your opinion on this very important issue, so that appropriate action from the FASIM side should be taken in this regard Pl. give your opinion on this very important issue within two days," the letter reads.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the government had firmed up a proposal to give specific names to all the AIIMS, the majority of the 23 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have submitted a list of names, after the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare sought suggestions from them.

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It further said that the AIIMS, New Delhi will face severe loss of identity and demoralization if the name is changed. It will also affect the standing of India internationally as far as medical education, patient care, and research is concerned.

"FAIMS believes this will lead to the impending loss of identity of AIIMS. AIIMS was created in 1956 with a trinity of missions for medical education, research, and patient care. It has fulfilled its mission right since its inception. As of now, it is consistently ranked first in the NIRF rankings of medical institutions," it said.

"Identity is linked with the name. If identity is lost, institutional recognition is lost both within the country and outside. That is why famous and established institutes have with the same names for centuries continued like Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard universities," it added.

FAIMS also mentioned the identity of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), whose name has not been changed.

"In India, IITs have a name recognition which gives them an institution's identity, and there is no proposal to change it. The same is true for AIIMs. Indian Institute of Science, which celebrated its 100 years of productive life, also has not changed its name. Also, the sense of identity is so strong, that Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras Universities continue with the same name even though the cities they are located in have changed names to Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai," the letter added.

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