The tenure of Dr Randeep Guleria as the director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here has been extended by three months, according to an office memorandum issued by the premier hospital. Guleria's current term is scheduled to end on Thursday (March 24). He was appointed as the director of AIIMS, New Delhi for a term of five years on March 28, 2017. "He will complete his tenure on 24.03.2022. President, AIIMS is pleased to extend his tenure w.e.f. March 25, 2022 by three months or by the time new director is appointed, whichever is earlier," the office memorandum issued by the hospital on Tuesday said.
Other terms and conditions of Guleria's appointment would be in accordance with the rules of the institute, it added. The four-member search-cum-selection committee comprising Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary of Department of Biotechnology Rajesh S Gokhale, Principal Scientific Advisor to the government K Vijay Raghavan and Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh held a meeting on Tuesday. Thirty-two candidates are in contention for the post of director of AIIMS, New Delhi.
Of the 32, there are 12 doctors of the hospital who have applied for the post, including Rajesh Malhotra, the head of the orthopaedics department and the chief of the trauma centre, MV Padma Srivastava, the chief of the neurosciences centre, Nikhil Tandon, the head of the endocrinology department, Sunil Chumber, the head of surgery, A K Bishoi, professor of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery (CTVS), and forensic chief Sudhir Gupta. Besides, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava has also applied for the post.
PTI INPUTS