15 years on, foundation of two new blocks laid at AIIMS

The two new blocks will add 600 beds and 24 operating theatres to AIIMS at a cost of Rs 255 crore. The surgical block, with 200 beds and 12 operation theatres, will also have a national endoscopy centre, a high dependency unit and transplant facilities, spread over 17,000 square metres. It will have three basements and nine floors. The block is expected to be ready by April 2015.

The Mother and Child Block will be built over an area of nearly 45,000 square metres and will also have three basements and nine floors, with 400 beds, 12 operation theatres and ICUs. It will be built at a cost of around Rs 200 crore. It is expected to be complete in two years.

Sources said the delays in the project were caused by several changes at the planning stage, including the shifting of the original sites from inside the main AIIMS campus.

Last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation stone of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the Jhajjar campus of AIIMS in Haryana.

Azad, in his address, said besides these initiatives, a convergence block and a new critical care unit were likely to be inaugurated soon, besides a new dharamshala.

Speaking of his tenure as Health Minister, Azad said, “For the first time in the country, the Central government has started establishing medical colleges during my tenure. Within four years, 97 new medical colleges have been established in the country. There has been a 75 per cent increase in MD seats and 55 per cent increase in MBBS seats. The government has changed MCI rules to improve the health scenario of the country…”

He said the Cabinet had approved 71 new cancer institutes in December last year at the national, state and tertiary levels.