The Centre on Friday appointed new heads to two top medical posts in India. Dr Rajiv Bahl, currently at the World Health Organisation, Geneva was appointed Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The incumbent is Dr Balram Bhargava.
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Dr M. Srinivas, Dean, ESIC, Medical College and Hospital, Sanathnagar, Hyderabad was appointed Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. He takes over from Dr Randeep Guleria, who along with Dr Bhargava, played a key role in India’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Bahl has been appointed for a term of three years and Dr Srinivas has been appointed for a term of five years or until he attains the age of 65, said a note from the Appointments Committee of Cabinet on Friday.
Dr Srinivas was a former faculty at AIIMS-Delhi and a professor in AIIMS’s department of paediatric surgery before shifting to the ESIC Hospital and Medical College in Hyderabad in 2016.
Dr Bahl joined WHO in 2003 and currently coordinates research and guidelines development in the areas of maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health. He trained as a paediatrician in Delhi, India, obtained his PhD in public health and prior to joining WHO, was a Senior Scientist at AIIMS for 10 years.