AIIMS Delhi to rope in agency for PR, social media; to track 'digital sentiment'

New Delhi: In a first, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi has decided to engage an external agency for its public relations and social media management, an official said.

The agency will also be entrusted with the responsibility of supporting the establishment and maintenance of a "museum of archives" at the institute, the institute said in an official order.

The tender for engaging an agency will be floated on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, and the process of onboarding will be completed by December 31, the order issued on October 14 stated.

"In accordance with the need to strengthen institutional communications, enhance public engagement, and ensure effective dissemination of credible information through traditional and digital platforms, it has been decided that a specialised agency be engaged for comprehensive public relations and social media management services at AIIMS Delhi," the order read.

The agency will coordinate with the institute's Media Cell for "formulating and executing" media relations, press releases, and public information campaigns.

According to the order, the agency will manage the institute's presence on all major social media platforms and ensure "high-quality, timely content and proactive engagement", while monitoring digital sentiment about AIIMS Delhi. In addition to regular updates, major institutional announcements, crisis communication support, and public health advisories will also be coordinated by the agency.

Analytics and impact assessments of all media and communications activities will also be undertaken by the agency, the institute said in its order.

It noted the importance of providing data for national and international rankings and surveys like the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), QS rankings, etc., in a timely and structured manner. Ensuring the accuracy of the data collected from diverse sources and adherence to the correct format is also crucial, it added.

"While AIIMS faculty and officials can guide the collection of appropriate data, they are usually over-occupied with their routine work, due to which the timelines of data submission are often missed," it said.

The agency, therefore, will support and coordinate data collection and collation for these activities as required.

The establishment of the archives museum will further require assistance in the identification, collection, and digitalisation of vital records, historical documents, photographs, awards, and memorabilia relevant to the institute. The agency will be expected to spearhead these activities, according to the order.

"To document and maintain accurate records of the glorious past of AIIMS New Delhi, it was decided vide OM dated 31 March 2023 to establish a museum of archives at AIIMS, Delhi. However, the concerned officials had expressed the requirement of supporting hands for documenting the rich history of AIIMS and for collecting various archives," the order noted.

The agency will also catalogue and curate archival material "as per the museum and documentation best practices", besides planning the exhibition, display, preservation, and documentation activities, it added.