The Faculty Association of AIIMS Delhi has sought the opinion of its members on a government proposal to give specific names to all the 23 AIIMS in the country, and contended that it will lead to loss of its identity.

In a note circulated among its members, the association said: “Identity is linked with the name and if the identity is lost, institutional recognition is lost both within the country and outside.” That is why universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard continue to have the same name for centuries. “In India, IITs have a name recognition, which gives them an institution’s identity and there is no proposal to change it. The same is true for IIMs,” the note signed by association president Dr Achal Kumar Srivastava and general secretary Dr Harshal Ramesh Salve said.

“AIIMS, New Delhi will face severe loss of identity and demoralisation if the name is changed. We at FAIMS seek your opinion on this very important issue, so that appropriate action can be taken,” the note issued on September 2 stated. The government has proposed to rename all the AIIMS, including the one in Delhi.