Centre has requested CMs to identify land for AIIMS

As part of its plans to have an AIIMS in every state, the Centre has requested chief ministers to identify appropriate land in their states for setting up the institute.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan today informed Lok Sabha that the government plans to set up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in each state.

"The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has requested the chief ministers of various states to identify appropriate land for setting up of new AIIMS," Harsh Vardhan said.

The Minister said there are issues involved in getting land for setting up AIIMS and at least 200 acres of land would be required for one such institute.

States need to provide facilities for setting up AIIMS and each institute would cost about Rs 1,500 crore, he said.

Six new AIIMS are being set up under the first phase of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

"These AIIMS are located at Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Patna (Bihar), Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Rishikesh (Uttarakhand)," the Minister said.

Responding to queries from Kerala MPs on setting up an AIIMS in the state, Harsh Vardhan said he has written to Kerala government asking it to suggest places where the institute can be set up.

He said the institute would be set up in Kerala.

On demands for AIIMS in Telangana, the Minister said the government would actively review the situation in that state.

"Andhra Pradesh government has identified land in Guntur district for the proposed AIIMS. No specific time line has been drawn for setting up of the new AIIMS under this plan," he said.

The Minister said there is a shortage of laboratories in different parts of the country and added that the government was seriously analysing the matter.