Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad inaugurated All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh on Monday in the presence of Chief Minister Harish Rawat. Speaking on the occasion, Azad said that AIIMS Rishikesh will now facilitate specialised and high-quality medical treatment for residents of the mountain State.
He said that funds will be provided to Uttarakhand by the Central Government in the ratio of 90:10 for health services which will further boost the provision of medical facilities in the mountain State. The Union Minister said that AIIMS Rishikesh was the first of the seven newly approved AIIMS to be inaugurated. Considering the difficult geographical terrain and related features of the State, relaxation will be made in the population norms for setting up of primary health centres. This in turn will help in expanding medical treatment facilities in remote mountainous regions of Uttarakhand, he averred. Azad said that a State like Uttarakhand will benefit considerably from the right to health being facilitated by the Government of India under the National Health Mission.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Harish Rawat said that the State has always needed specialised medical treatment facilities due to its difficult geographical terrain. The opening of AIIMS Rishikesh will help the people of Uttarakhand access the required specialised medical treatment. Seeking assistance from the Central Government for the 15 trauma centres slated to be opened in the State, Rawat also stressed on the need to develop mobile medical treatment facility in the State. The CM also said that the State expects assistance from the Central Government for the opening of the Unani and Ayurvedic College at Piran Kaliyar and the AYUSH College to be opened in Champawat.
AIIMS Rishikesh director Dr Rajkumar spoke in detail about the institute which is a project under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). The Institute is being set up at an estimated cost of Rs 840 crore and will have 960 beds, including 500 beds for specialty departments, 300 beds for super specialty departments, 100 beds for ICU and trauma care, 30 beds for PMR and 30 beds for AYUSH. In all, the institute will have 40 departments of super specialty and specialty care. The Ministry of Finance had initially approved creation of 1,145 posts of faculty and other positions. Subsequently, Ministry of Finance has approved 2,936 additional posts for the institute.
During the current academic year 2013-14, the intake for MBBS course has been increased to 100. The first batch of 50 MBBS students commenced in September, 2012 while the first batch of 60 students in the BSc, Nursing course has also been admitted in the year 2013-14.
