New Delhi, Feb 3 Out of the sanctioned 22 All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), six of these at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, Bhubaneswar in Odisha, Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Patna in Bihar, Raipur in Chhattisgarh, and Rishikesh in Uttarakhand are fully functional, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Friday. The remaining 16 AIIMS are at various stages of operationalisation, he informed the Lok Sabha. Setting up of 22 new AIIMS across the country was sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). These institutes will add 2,475 MBBS seats and 18,250 bed capacity to the country's healthcare system. Out of 22 AIIMS, MBBS course is currently running in 19 AIIMS, except at Awantipora (Kashmir), Rewari (Haryana) and Darbhanga (Bihar) which are in different stages of implementation, Mandaviya told the House. The health ministry closely monitors the progress of new AIIMS projects. Completion of work depends upon various factors, including transfer of encumbrance free land by the state government, regulatory clearances and site specific issues, he added. Source: PTI
