No plans for AIIMS in Jalandhar, Focus on upgrading existing medical colleges: Union Health Minister
Health Minister Irfan Ansari is scheduled to meet with Union Health Minister JP Nadda in the coming days
Jalandhar: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has clarified that there are currently no plans to establish a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Jalandhar, Punjab.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), the government has already approved the establishment of 22 AIIMS across India, with one in Bathinda, Punjab, which is functional.
Furthermore, the government has been strengthening healthcare infrastructure in the state by upgrading existing medical colleges. Two major institutions, the Government Medical College in Amritsar and the Government Medical College in Patiala, have received substantial upgrades with the construction of Super Specialty Blocks (SSBs) under a Centre-State cost-sharing basis.
The minister was responding to the questions raised by Shri Charanjit Singh Channi about whether the Government is considering a proposal to establish a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Jalandhar, Punjab given the growing healthcare needs and rising cases of non-communicable diseases in the State; if so, the details thereof along with the timeline fixed for the completion of the proposed AIIMS, including the location and estimated budget; and
He also asked, if not, the reasons for not prioritizing a new AIIMS in the State of Punjab despite the critical need for advanced healthcare facilities in the region.
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Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda informed that under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), the setting up of 22 All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has been approved including AIIMS at Bathinda in Punjab, which is functional. Further, for strengthening and upgrading tertiary healthcare facilities in Punjab, under another component of PMSSY, the upgradation of the following Government Medical Colleges has been completed by way of the construction of Super Specialty Blocks (SSBs) on Centre-State cost-sharing basis: (i) Government Medical College, Amritsar and (ii) Government Medical College, Patiala. In the current phase of PMSSY, there is no proposal to establish a new AIIMS in Jalandhar, Punjab.
