AIIMS Rajkot foundation- The 16th in India! Know more facts

Rajkot, December 31: "Necessary preparations regarding COVID-19 vaccines are underway in India. Efforts are being made in various stages to make the vaccine reach every corner of the country", noted PM Modi while laying the foundation of AIIMS Rajkot today. This is in the backdrop of government approving the COVID-19 vaccine by Serum Institute anytime now.

 

He, saluting the frontline workers on the last day of 2020 added, "when there is any health injury, every aspect of life gets severely affected. Not just the family, the whole social circle is affected. This last day of the year is to remember India's millions of doctors, health warriors, sanitation workers, and front line corona warriors".

 

PM Modi today laid the foundation stone of All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rajkot today through video conferencing with Governor, Chief Minister, Health Minister, and MoS for Health Gujarat present on the occasion. "The new year is just around the corner. The foundation stone of AIIMS in Rajkot will strengthen the health and medical education of the entire country including Gujarat", Modi added.

 

India took effective measures on time with solidarity, the result of which is that we are in a much better position today. The country, with population of more than 130 crore, there are about 10 million who have won the fighting against COVID19. "The kind of medical infrastructure that has been developed in #Gujarat in the last 2 decades is a big reason that Gujarat is better enabled to deal with Corona. AIIMS Rajkot will further strengthen Gujarat's health network", he noted.

 

A total of 201 acres of land has been allotted for the project in Rajkot, Gujarat. It will be built at an estimated cost of Rs. 1195 crores and is expected to be completed by mid of 2022. The state-of-the-art 750-bed hospital will also have a 30-bed AAYUSH block. It will have 125 MBBS seats and 60 nursing seats.

 

There are a total of 15 AIIMS across India. AIIMS Rajkot will be the 16th institute in the country under the group of autonomous public medical colleges of higher education. By 2025, eight more institutes are expected to become operational. Proposals were made for six more AIIMS. The last AIIMS to be made operational was AIIMS Deoghar, Jharkhand in 2019.

 

The first AIIMS was established in 1956 under the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Act, 1956 in New Delhi. Originally AIIMS was proposed to be built in Calcutta by the then PM of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, but it was established in New Delhi following the refusal of the then CM of West Bengal Bidhan Chandra Roy.