Jammu and Kashmir government is making makeshift arrangements for starting the first batch of MBBS at the upcoming All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Awantipora in south Kashmir.
According to an official document, the government of J&K has informed that out of Rs 1828 crore sanctioned for the establishment of AIIMS Kashmir, just Rs 61.8 crore has been utilized so far. However, the government has made it clear that it is intending to start the first batch of MBBS in 2021 at the proposed site for a makeshift campus.
“For starting the first batch of MBBS in 2021, makeshift arrangements are being made,” reads an official document.
It further states that so far the physical progress of the project is just 3 percent.
“Work on the main building allotted on November, 2020, physical progress is 3 percent. 86 percent boundary wall completed, 187.77 acres of land made available,” it reads.
Regarding the funding for the project, the official document reveals that Rs 1828 crore were sanctioned for the project, Rs 234.5 crore were released, of which just Rs 61.80 crore have been utilized.”
A senior health department official informed that the first batch of 50 students for MBBS at AIIMS Jammu was taken earlier this year, for AIIMS Kashmir, the UT Government is looking at August 2021 for admissions.
“J&K Government has written to the Union Health Ministry seeking approval for the temporary accommodation in Srinagar as the campus of the MBBS course in AIIMS Kashmir for the upcoming academic session. Due to Covid second wave, the process was derailed for some time.”
All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Jammu’s Samba district has secured the Union Health Ministry’s approval to start its first academic session from this year. The AIIMS in Vijaypur tehsil of Samba district has been sanctioned a total intake capacity of 50 MBBS seats for the academic session 2020-2021.
The institute to be established at Awantipora is part of the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) which was announced on 7 November 2015.
The central government has appointed CPWD as an executing agency for the project.
Although issues like land acquisition, rehabilitation and compensation of the people affected by the project have been belatedly resolved, the construction agency is yet to finish the fencing of the project site.
The AIIMS, according to official information, is supposed to have a 750-bed hospital and would cater to around 1500 OPD cases on a daily basis.
The project besides providing the super-specialty healthcare would also help Kashmir in human resource development in medical science.
