All six new AIIMS turn out to be non-starter

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's ambitious vision to have at least one AIIMS-like hospital in every region of the country seems to have developed Achilles's heel as all the six AIIMS approved during his regime is proving to be a non-starter.

According to the latest report, all the six AIIMS approved by the Vajpayee government are running short of faculties and footfalls of patients are 10 times lesser in comparison to the parent AIIMs in the national capital.

Given the present condition of six AIIMS, it looks very challenging task for the government to expedite 20 more new AIIMS on the lines of Delhi's premier health institute.

The report shows that all the six new AIIMS, which were established to reduce increasing patient burden on Delhi AIIMS, not proving to be a saviour for 60 per cent patients visiting Delhi AIIMS for quality treatment at affordable prices.

In AIIMS-Delhi, about 2,300 patients get admitted every month while 8,500 surgeries are being done every month, which is not the case with all six AIIMS.

According to the report, just 750 patients are visiting AIIMS-Raipur during OPD hours every day, while the hospital conducts only 16 surgeries in a month and 250 patients get admission. Similarly, the condition of AIIMS-Patna is also as like other regional AIIMS as the hospital get 1,040 patients during OPD hours, while 325 surgeries in a month and 370 admissions.

Notably, AIIMS-Patna was opened to provide AIIMS-Delhi like treatment to patients from Bihar in their own state only, but it's not working as patients from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, etc are still contributing to 60 per cent footfall of all the patients at the premier institute.

AIIMS-Jodhpur witnesses 1,600 patients during OPD hours, with 450 surgeries and 750 admissions; AIIMS-Rishikesh sees 1,250 patient footfall, 300 surgeries and 725 admissions; AIIMS-Bhubaneswar has 1,750 patients at OPD, 600 surgeries and 1,550 admissions and AIIMS-Bhopal get only 950 patients during OPD hours in a day, with 150 surgeries and just 350 admissions.

On the faculty front, AIIMS Raipur has just 79, AIIMS Patna has just 52, AIIMS Jodhpur has 99, AIIMS Rishikesh has 86, AIIMS Bhubaneswar has 137 and AIIMS Bhopal has just 54 faculties. Every AIIMS has less than one-fourth of total sanctioned faculty strength of 305.