AIIMS Awantipora, Kashmir’s first All India Institute of Medical Sciences, is taking shape, with construction now around 76 percent complete. Once ready, the 750-bed hospital will bring advanced and specialised healthcare closer to people across Kashmir, while also providing medical education and research facilities to the region.
A Long-Awaited Healthcare Milestone
AIIMS Awantipora, being constructed in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), has seen its physical progress steadily climb in recent months. According to information shared in Parliament, the project’s completion has moved from around 70 percent earlier in the year to close to 78 percent by late July 2026, with the Union Government reiterating that civil works are on track for completion by December 2026.The project, first approved by the Central Government in 2019 at an estimated cost of Rs 1,828 crore, has faced repeated delays over the years due to a combination of factors, including land acquisition disputes, security-related revisions to the master plan, accessibility issues linked to road connectivity, and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and harsh winter conditions. The project’s revised budget now stands at over Rs 2,160 crore.
What AIIMS Awantipora Will Offer
Once operational, AIIMS Awantipora is expected to feature 750 beds, along with a medical college and a nursing college, offering speciality and super-speciality departments alongside dedicated research facilities. The institute is planned to enrol 100 MBBS students and 60 nursing students annually, helping address the region’s long-standing shortage of trained healthcare professionals.
For many families across Kashmir, the completion of AIIMS Awantipora could mean access to quality, advanced medical treatment closer to home, reducing the need to travel outside the Valley for specialised care — a journey that has traditionally posed significant financial and logistical challenges for patients from the region, particularly during winter months when road connectivity to the rest of the country can be disrupted.
Reviews and Renewed Push for Completion
The project has seen sustained high-level attention in recent months, with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah conducting site visits and review meetings to assess construction progress and direct the executing agency to expedite pending work. Officials have called for fortnightly progress reviews and the mobilisation of additional manpower and machinery to help meet the revised completion timeline.
Officials have indicated that operationalisation of the institute, beyond the completion of civil works, will also depend on factors such as regulatory clearances and the recruitment of faculty and non-faculty staff. AIIMS Awantipora has a sanctioned strength of 94 faculty and 252 non-faculty posts, according to information shared with Parliament.
A Broader Healthcare Transformation
AIIMS Awantipora’s progress comes even as AIIMS Jammu, the first such institute to become operational in the Union Territory, continues to expand its services, with 42 departments — including broad and super-speciality departments — now functional there. The two institutes together form a key part of the government’s broader strategy to decentralise access to advanced tertiary healthcare across Jammu and Kashmir.
A Big Step Forward for Healthcare in Kashmir
The steady progress on AIIMS Awantipora is being viewed by many as a significant milestone in the region’s healthcare infrastructure, reflecting the broader narrative of transformation often described as “Naya Kashmir, Badalta Kashmir” — a new and changing Kashmir. As construction moves toward completion, expectations remain high among residents that the institute will soon begin delivering on its promise of bringing world-class medical care and education within reach of the Kashmir Valley’s population. For families who have long had to travel outside the region for advanced treatment, the prospect of a fully functional AIIMS closer to home represents not just a healthcare upgrade, but a meaningful improvement in daily life and long-term wellbeing.
