Hindi only for administrative communication: AIIMS Bhubaneswar

A day after the ruling BJD and opposition Congress accused AIIMS, Bhubaneswar of imposing Hindi on the people of Odisha, the institute on Saturday clarified that its directive on the use of the language in official work was purely for administrative communication and not for the patients or the public.

The clarification was issued by All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar director B Gitanjali after a delegation of BJD MPs and MLAs met her to protest a recent circular where officials were asked to undertake work in Hindi as per the provisions of the Official Language Act, 1963.

"Let me make it clear that the directive is solely meant for administrative work in the institute. It is for the staff who have studied in Hindi medium and not for the patients or the public," Gitanjali told reporters after meeting a BJP delegation led by its Parliamentary Party leader Pinaki Mishra.

The AIIMS director clarified that patients'' forms and signages in the hospital are in Odia and English.

Medical and nursing students of the institute are being taught Odia for better communication with the patients and their attendants, she said.

The institute''s director said an internal memo was circulated among the AIIMS staff to comply with the Official Language Act, 1963, as per the directive of the Centre.

The Centre has asked the institute to comply with the Act within a specified time, she said.

"An internal clarification has been issued and primacy to Odia will be given in all signages," Mishra said after meeting the AIIMS director.

In a memorandum to the Union health and family welfare minister, submitted to the AIIMS director, the BJD had protested the "imposition" of Hindi on the people and demanded that Odia be used for the benefit of the people of the state for availing health services.

"AIIMS, Bhubaneswar is a public institution where people receive treatment. Imposing Hindi will jeopardise the interests of patients, their attendants and the stakeholders of the society," the BJD memorandum said.

The regional party has also demanded the withdrawal of the office order, which it termed as "arbitrary" and "discriminatory", and use of Odia since people of the state are familiar with it.