Work On 6 AIIMS-like Institutes & Upgradation Of 13 Institutes Started

Nayantara Som

AIIMS, New Delhi

It was last year that the cabinet passed the proposal of setting up six AIIMS-like institutes and the upgradation of 13 existing Government institutes under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana.

The upgradation project will be handled by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Hospital Service Consultancy Corporation (HSCC), and Hindustan Latex Ltd (HLL). The Ministry at the Centre will allocate Rs 100 crore and the State will contribute Rs 20 crore to each of the 13 projects. The project is slated to be completed by 2009. The country will see an upgradation in healthcare institutes in Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

But what was the rationale in choosing these 13 states out of 28 states in the country? Dr R Chandrashekhar, Senior Architect, Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, replies, "It was the cabinet's decision. They must have thought rationally. Since almost all the other states have received some kind of Government support, the question of states being left out does not arise. The problem of reservation of seats for students also gets solved."

The idea to establish six AIIMS-like institutions germinated due to the limited faculty members. An increase in faculty can lead to a subsequent rise in the number of medical professionals in the country. Similarly, the idea to increase the number of postgraduate seats and widen the number of disciplines and courses in healthcare institutions culminated in to the idea of upgrading 13 institutions.

Subsequently, a report on the current infrastructure status of the institutions was submitted to the ministry. A technical team from the Central Ministry has till now visited 10 institutions and has chalked out the areas where upgradation is needed. Dr Chandrashekhar adds, "Apart from the infrastructure facilities, the institutions will also have to state the number of postgraduate seats, its bed strength and its super specialty departments." The upgradation will also see addition of new disciplines and courses. Courses like Msc in nursing, post basic speciality in nursing and nursing trauma care will be added to the curriculum. Dr Chandrashekhar adds, "Each and every department will be looked into and you will get a feel of the overall development of the institute." A source from the Ministry informs, "Every institute has different demands and requirements. Hence, the plan adopted in each of the 13 institutes is also different. But at the end of the day, you will see an all round upgradation."

Meanwhile, work has started on the six AIIMS-like institutes to come up in Jodhpur, Rishikesh, Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Raipur and Patna. A budget of around Rs 332 crore has been allocated for all the six locations. "The sites have been chosen, the tender is in progress, but it has to be evaluated. The construction is scheduled to begin by 2007," adds Dr Chandrashekhar. At present, the target for completion of all the six projects is 2009.

Except for Patna, boundary walls in the remaining five states have already been made. A pre-construction survey is in progress at present. For construction of these institutes, pre-engineered designs are being looked into extensively. In order to choose a competent architect for designing the six AIIMS-like institutes, an architectural design competition was held on November 20, 2006. Dr Chandrashekhar adds, "Out of 60 participants, 12 people from across the globe have been shortlisted for the purpose." A common design for the institute will be formulated, but simultaneously a local style will be added to it. Plans are also on the cards for the six institutes to share their resources and manpower. Commenting on the amount of effort and research that is put in both these mammoth endeavours, the same source from the Central Ministry says, "We are ready to experiment on a broader base to make these institutes conducive to the environment."