The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Guwahati is all set for inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 April, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said today. After visiting the AIIMS Guwahati today, he said that 84% of work in the institution has been completed, and said that PM Modi will inaugurate it during his Assam visit on 14 April.
‘Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Guwahati on 14 April to participate in the Bihu program organised by the state government at Sarusajai Stadium. Along with that, we are thinking about whether we can inaugurate the AIIMS Guwahati on that day. Therefore, I inspected the AIIMS campus today, and we will take a decision on it soon,’ the chief minister said addressing the media after the visit.
He stated that the AIIMS has started OPD services, and IPD services with 150 beds will start soon. The CM said that almost 84% of the construction work and 82% of finances have been completed. He also informed that three batches with almost 200 students are already studying at the AIIMS, and the fourth batch will be admitted by April-May.
Himanta Biswa Sarma added, ‘therefore we hope that if the prime minister approves, we will inaugurate the AIIMS Guwahati by his hands on 14th April’.
He also posted a video of his visit to the campus on Twitter and said that after its inauguration, the AIIMS will give a huge boost to healthcare in North East. “Reviewed status of its various infrastructure facilities including OPD, auditorium, waste disposal & connecting roads,” he added.
It's our great privilege that Adarniya PM Shri @narendramodi ji will soon inaugurate AIIMS Changsari, which will give a huge boost to healthcare in North East.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) March 23, 2023
Reviewed status of its various infrastructure facilities including OPD, auditorium, waste disposal & connecting roads pic.twitter.com/5QeDVFZAbf
The CM said that 18 departments including OPD are ready to be opened, while some super-speciality departments will come up gradually. While the AIIMS will have 750 beds, it will start with 150 beds.
Earlier on March 3, Health minister Keshab Mahanta and chief secretary Paban Kumar Barthakur reviewed the work of the medical institution with top officials of AIIMS and Kamrup district administration. The minister had directed the officials to complete the work by 31 March.
The foundation stone for the AIIMS at Changsari at North Guwahati was laid by prime minister Narendra Modi in May 2017. It is being constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana at an estimated cost of Rs 1,123 crore on a 571-acre plot.
Academic activities started in January 2021 with the induction of 50 students in the first batch. Subsequently, 2 more batches were admitted, with 100 students admitted in the third batch last year. While the academic sessions had started at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, the classes were shifted to the permanent site at Changsari in March 2022 after the buildings were ready.
While at present Saraighat bridge over the Brahmaputra is the only way to reach the AIIMS from Guwahati, the upcoming Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge, construction for which has been going on, will provide a much shorter link to the premier health institute.
The AIIMS was approved in the union budget in 2015, presented by then finance minister Arun Jaitley. In the first full budget after coming to power, the Modi government had announced five AIIMS in Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and a second AIIMS in Bihar.
Among these, land for the AIIMS at Darbhanga in Bihar is yet to be finalised, while construction has not started at Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Construction of the Jammu AIIMS is going on, while the Himachal AIIMS at Bilaspur was inaugurated last year, and the institution at Bathinda in Punjab has also started functioning.
