Presented by the Centre for India and South Asia Research (CISAR) and UBC’s Department of Asian Studies.
Join Dr. Kiran Kumbhar, a historian and health policy expert, for an insightful presentation on the early contested debates surrounding the establishment of AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) in New Delhi. While AIIMS is now regarded as a symbol of India’s medical and scientific achievements, its inception was marked by fierce ideological conflicts in Parliament over the relevance of allopathic medicine versus traditional Indian systems of healing. Dr. Kumbhar will explore these debates, the political tensions at the time, and how AIIMS, despite being initially viewed by some as ‘anti-national,’ became a cornerstone of India’s healthcare landscape. This event offers a unique perspective on the intersection of medicine, politics, and national identity in post-independence India.
