'Retaining faculty at AIIMS difficult task'

Incentives raised to hold them: Ex-director

Retaining the faculty in AIIMS and bringing them together were some of the major challenges that he faced during his five-year tenure as the director of the  institute, R C Deka said.

“Retaining the faculty at AIIMS was a big challenge as many wanted to leave and go to corporate hospitals. That is why I had introduced many initiatives like the institute bearing the entire expenses of their travel abroad for conferences,” said Deka, who retired on September 30.

“Further, I raised their incentives to Rs 60,000 per year which is being given to them as a learning resource allowance,” he said.

According to Deka, when he took charge in May, 2009, the faculty of AIIMS were divided into various groups.

Engaged in research

“To bring them together, I engaged them in research activities like human genomics, immunogenetics with organ transplant programme, molecular medicine, structural biology and protein structure, aiming at new drug development,” he said.

During the previous academic year, the faculty, scientists and students of the institute published over 1,800 research papers in national and international journals.

Over 500 young scientists at different positions like research fellows, research associates and PhD students had been engaged in significant research projects under the supervision of the faculty, he said.

Presently, 508 research projects, including 55 projects funded by international organisations like WHO, NIH, UNICEF and some Indian agencies, are in progress.
The faculty and scientists have brought extramural funds of Rs 69 crore and 211 research projects were successfully completed this year.

“Institutional funds of Rs  5 crore was also distributed to young faculty for undertaking 58 new research projects involving newer areas like cardiology, neurosciences, stem cell studies, drug designing and protein research,” he said.

“Under my chairmanship, the Research Advisory Council took a number of steps to enhance our research capabilities and to stimulate young scholars and faculty to learn research techniques using platform-based technology,” he said.