AIIMS, PGI faculty to stage joint protest on Doctors day demanding rotatory headship

New Delhi: The representatives of faculty associations of Delhi's AIIMS and Chandigarh's PGIMER will be holding a joint peaceful protest on National Doctors' Day on July 1 demanding immediate implementation of rotatory headship -- a democratic and transparent leadership system -- long overdue at these premier institutions, a statement issued on Sunday said.

This protest is part of an ongoing movement over the past two months and reflects the strong, united voice of faculty at both institutes committed to fair and inclusive academic governance, the statement said.

The faculty members of these two institutions will wear black badges and protest T-shirts on July 1 and hold a relay hunger protest from 1 pm to 2 pm on campus.

The aim is to "visibly and respectfully" demonstrate to highlight the demand for rotatory headship, it added.

Also Read:Rotatory Headship being reviewed by Health Ministry: PGIMER Director

"This demonstration will be symbolic yet powerful, marking a critical moment in our collective demand for transparency, fairness and equal opportunity in academic leadership," the statement said.

Rotatory headship is a well-established model in top academic institutions across India. It prevents monopolization of power, ensures merit-based leadership and promotes departmental harmony, it added.

This system remains unimplemented at the AIIMS and PGIMER despite repeated appeals and over 78 per cent faculty supporting it.

This is not a strike, it is a peaceful assertion of faculty rights and institutional integrity, the statement said.

The two institutions have over the past two months submitted representations to the Union Health Ministry and institutional leadership for implementation of the same.

They have conducted internal polls, signature drives and passed resolutions and organized awareness campaigns and symbolic protests as well as repeatedly sought dialogue and time-bound implementation.

"With no meaningful progress, we are now taking this step on Doctors' Day, a day that honors the medical profession, to bring national attention to this legitimate and long-pending concern," it added.

Also Read:Demanding rotatory headship policy, AIIMS, PGI Chandigarh Faculty begin hunger strike