The Hindu : New Delhi News : Six AIIMS-like institutions to be set up

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Thursday, Dec 23, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Six AIIMS-like institutions to be set up

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 22. The Union Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, said here that the process of setting up six AIIMS-like institutions in different parts of the country at a cost of Rs. 280 crores each was underway and their construction would begin soon.

Replying to a calling attention on the status of implementation of the project on Tuesday, he said the land required for the project had already been acquired in full for four of the Centres: Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Rishikesh and Raipur. In respect of the remaining two, 37 per cent of the land had been acquired for the proposed institution in Patna. For the sixth centre, proposed in Jodhpur, the land acquisition work was yet to begin.

In addition, clearance for the project had been obtained from the Expenditure Finance Committee and start-up activities such as construction of boundary walls, process for selection of project consultants and selection of architectural concepts and designs had been taken up. All the six institutions would be linked through tele-medicine.

In reply to another calling attention motion on "the fast deteriorating health care services" in AIIMS, he said such charges were not proper. The Government would not allow its standards to go down. For instance, a research review committee had been set up to monitor the work being done with regard to research on stem cell and other fields. Likewise, an expenditure finance committee was looking into the issue of providing better facilities for treatment.

An inquiry had been ordered into complaints of non-use of equipment and steps were on to evolve treatment packages for various ailments on the lines of packages that had been developed for patients treated in cardiology and neurology departments. The cancer hospital attached to the institution had faced certain problems and efforts were on to solve them.

He agreed with BJP MP, Maneka Gandhi, that there was a shortfall in the budgetary allocation for the institution's non-plan expenditure and said efforts were being made to provide additional resources. "Rs. 170 crores had been allotted as non-plan expenditure. Efforts are being made to increase it through revised estimates," he said.

Referring to allegations of negligence in the death of the son of an AIIMS employee and to the consequent strike in the institution, Dr. Anbumani said that pending inquiry by a committee comprising three senior faculty members, the doctor treating him had been withdrawn. Stressing that best possible efforts needed to be taken to save lives, whether it was a poor or a rich person, the Minister said there was also no question of allowing the functioning of the institution to be disrupted in any manner. "AIIMS is not a factory, where strike would only mean a loss of production. Lives can be lost. Be it the doctors association or the karamcharis' union, there was no question of allowing strike to disrupt its working."

During the discussions earlier, former Prime Minister, A.B.Vajpayee praised the work being done at AIIMS and said it would be improper to tarnish its image because of some stray happenings. He further said that in no way indiscipline should be tolerated as it affected the patients and advised that no attempt should be made to politicise any issue relating to the hospital.

The Congress MP, Ajay Maken, who moved the calling attention motion, said AIIMS had spent large amounts of money to buy equipment for robotic surgery, but they were lying unused.

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