Union Health Minister JP Nadda today announced infrastructure projects worth Rs 178 crore for AIIMS, Bilaspur. He lauded the state-of-the-art renal transplant ICU and facility which became operational recently, according to an official statement of the Union Health Ministry.
Nadda visited the high-end renal transplant facility in the premier hospital. He interacted with the first renal transplant recipient, who had undergone a surgery there recently, and the donor and enquired after their health; both are recovering well, the release said.
Nadda, while interacting with mediapersons later in Bilaspur, said that it had been decided that AIIMS, Bilaspur, would do the handholding to strengthen four medical colleges located in Mandi, Hamirpur, Nahan and Chamba in the state. He added that a faculty exchange programme would also be introduced to provide better training to doctors in the state and a plan would be ready soon.
He said, “The commencement of renal transplant surgery at AIIMS, Bilaspur, marks a milestone in the history of the institute. It will fill a long-standing void in the availability of transplant services in Himachal.”
The Union Health Minister said that the renal transplant facility would act as a catalyst for the establishment of multi-organ and bone marrow transplantation services in the near future. It was expected to assist 50 to 100 patients each year, besides raising awareness about organ donation, he added.
Nadda said, “With this life-saving therapy available in the state for those in the need of kidney transplants, an initial grant of Rs 2 crore has been sanctioned. The fund will help the poor and the needy, who do not have resources for such a costly treatment.”
He said that Rs 178 crore would be spent on 72 dwelling units, undergraduate student hostels, lecture halls for the college of nursing and allied health sciences, and a solar rooftop power plant, according to the statement.
Nadda also announced the procurement of a PET-CT machine at a cost of Rs 22 crore, which is being installed, besides setting up of a Regional VRDL (Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory) in AIIMS, Bilaspur, at a cost of more than Rs 18 crore.
The minister said that 29 posts of assistant professor for anaesthesiology had been created, besides 98 non-faculty posts of various categories. He added that filling these posts would enable round-the-clock functioning of labs as well as proper utilisation of sophisticated equipment, leading to effective functioning of operating theatres.
Later in the day, Nadda chaired a high-level meeting to review the functioning of AIIMS and the implementation of important healthcare initiatives, the release said.
Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and senior officials from the Union Health Ministry and the state government attended the meeting, it said.
The AIIMS authorities proposed the integration of its drone and ambulance services with the district health resources to effectively reduce the time taken to transfer patients and medical samples from remote locations, the press release added.
Nadda expressed satisfaction with AIIMS’s dedication to medical education and research, as 614 students were now studying in various undergraduate, postgraduate and super-specialty medical and allied courses.
29 faculty, 98 other posts created
- The ~178 crore grant will be spent on 72 dwelling units, undergraduate student hostels, lecture halls for the college of nursing and allied health sciences and a solar rooftop power plant
- 29 posts of assistant professor for anaesthesiology and 98 non-faculty posts created, says Nadda
- The institute is expected to launch PhD programmes next year