20 AIIMS to be operational this year, but crowd at AIIMS Delhi will not reduce; here’s why

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate five new AIIMS to the nation on February 25. The new AIIMS will be inaugurated in Rajkot, Gujarat, Bhatinda in Punjab, Rae Bareli in UP, Kalyani in West Bengal, and Mangalagiri in Andhra Pradesh. The Centre plans to increase the number of AIIMS hospitals in India to 25. If the government’s claims are to be believed, then with already running 8 AIIMS — Delhi, Patna, Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Rishikesh, Bhopal and Rae Bareli — and the recent inaugurations, a total of 20 AIIMS will be operational by the end of this year.

But the big question is why the crowd of patients in AIIMS Delhi is still not reducing. Despite Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar having their own AIIMS, why are most of the patients from the two states turning up to AIIMS Delhi? The number of patients coming to emergency and OPD in Delhi’s AIIMS daily is more than 10000. Out of these, approximately 30 per cent patients are from Delhi. The remaining 70 per cent patients are from Bihar and UP. This is because most of the new AIIMS that the government is opening are handled by the doctors of AIIMS Delhi. Hence, the doctors of Delhi AIIMS are the most trustworthy. Delhi AIIMS also has the maximum number of beds and facilities. However, they are inadequate in front of the crowd of patients.

AIIMS of all other states are facing a shortage of doctors and staff. Many have not even been fully operational. At present, the status of the newly built AIIMS in the country is given below:

1. AIIMS Nagpur – Rs 1577 crore – OPD and OT operational
2. AIIMS Gorakhpur – Rs 1011 crore – OPD and OT operational
3. AIIMS Guwahati – Rs 1123 crore – OPD and OT underway (construction underway)
4. AIIMS Bilaspur – Rs 1471 crore – OPD and OT operational
5. AIIMS Madurai Rs 1977 crore – work has not started yet
6. AIIMS Mangalagiri – Rs 1618 crore – OPD and OT operational
7. AIIMS Kalyani – Rs 1754 crore – OPD and OT operational
8. AIIMS Rajkot – 1195 crore – OPD operational, under construction
9. AIIMS Darbhanga – Rs 1264 crore – stuck in a land dispute with the state government.
10. AIIMS Vijaypur, Jammu – Rs 1661 crore – construction work 95% complete
11. AIIMS Awantipura, Kashmir – Rs 1828 crore – under construction
12. AIIMS Deoghar – Rs 1103 crore – OPD and OT operational, construction underway
13. AIIMS Bibinagar 1365 crore – OPD and OT ongoing – 50% work left.
14. AIIMS Rewari – Rs 1646 crore – tender process underway
15. AIIMS Bathinda – 925 crore – OPD and OT operational 

Most of the AIIMS are not fully operational. There is a shortage of machines and manpower in some places. Recruiting experienced doctors and staff is a big task for all new AIIMS. And in India, there are not that many qualified doctors who can work in the government system.