Finally, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will soon see the light of the day in Himachal Pradesh as the Bhoomi Pujan was performed at Kothipura in Bilaspur district. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda performed the Bhoomi Pujan on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Thakur said that the AIIMS would prove a boon for the people of the state as they would have access to the specialised health care facilities nearer to their homes.

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“This Rs 1,351 crore AIIMS would be completed within a period of two years and would have a capacity of 750 beds, out of which 300 beds would be for super speciality,” he said, adding that there would be 100 MBBS seats and 60 nursing seats at the institute.

He said that due to the unnecessary delay in transferring the land for this institution by the previous state government, people of the state were deprived of specialised health services.

The present state government has not only ensured transfer of the land immediately but also provided all possible help by way of providing additional land of 48 hectares so that this premier institute could take off at the earliest.

The CM said that it was due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the Centre sanctioned AIIMS, Satellite Centre of PGI, four medical colleges, Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) for the state. In addition, the state also succeeded in getting projects worth Rs 9,500 crore approved from the Centre.

The CM announced shifting of PWD Division Number-II from Bilaspur to Kothipura besides shifting Division Number -II of Shri Naina Devi Ji.

Nadda said that the AIIMS was being constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna.

It would serve the dual purpose of providing super speciality health care to the population besides creating a pool of doctors and other health workers for providing better health care facilities to the people of the state, he added.

He said that the institute would also have Affordable Medicine and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) outlets and Jan Aushadhi Kendra where medicine would be provided at highly discounted rates to the poor and needy.

Nadda said that the project would be executed by NBCC Ltd and would have 15 operation theatres and 20 speciality and super-speciality departments.

In addition, it would also have an AYUSH Department with 30 beds for providing treatment facilities in the traditional system of medicine, he added.

Both Thakur and Nadda planted saplings in the premises of the proposed site on the occasion.