• By Vivek Raj
  • Sun, 25 Feb 2024 06:10 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated five new campuses of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) across different states on Sunday. The AIIMS facilities inaugurated include Gujarat's first AIIMS in Rajkot, along with campuses in Punjab's Bathinda, Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, Kalyan in West Bengal, and Mangalagiri in Andhra Pradesh.

Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya had earlier announced that PM Modi would inaugurate a new AIIMS in Jammu, which took place on February 20. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare confirmed that the Prime Minister would also inaugurate AIIMS campuses in Rajkot, Mangalagiri, Bathinda, Rae Bareli, and Kalyani the following week.

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However, the "inauguration" of these AIIMS campuses has raised eyebrows as all five facilities have been functional for some time, albeit partially. Despite being operational, the decision to inaugurate them ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 appears to be a strategic move to highlight development initiatives.

The Kalyani unit of AIIMS in West Bengal has been operational since September 2019, although it has faced controversy due to alleged environmental clearance issues. Similarly, the Rae Bareli campus has had its Outdoor Patient Department (OPD) functional since August 2018, approved during the Congress-led UPA government in 2009.

In Andhra Pradesh, the Mangalagiri AIIMS campus has been operational since 2018, with the academic session commencing from a temporary campus in Vijayawada. AIIMS Rajkot's first academic batch began in 2020, despite being operational for some time.

Despite the functional status of these campuses, PM Modi inaugurated them under the banner of 'Ayushman Bharat, Viksit Bharat.' According to Health Minister Mandaviya's response in the Lok Sabha, the 16 AIIMS-like institutions are at various stages of operationalisation, offering limited services in OPD and IPD departments.

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Several AIIMS-like institutions, including AIIMS Gorakhpur, Mangalagiri, Nagpur, and Kalyani, announced in 2014, are yet to be fully functional despite years of announcement and development efforts.