AIIMS sets up 120-bedded night shelter

AIIMS has set up a 120-bedded night shelter home at its premises, seeking to provide relief in the cold weather to patients coming from outstation and their relatives.
The shelter, which was inaugurated by Union Health Minister J P Nadda today is being allocated to the patients on first-cum-first-served basis. It has been set up by the Sashastra Seema Bal Wives Welfare Association's (Sandiksha) in collaboration with the AIIMS.
"From time to time I visit these night shelters and 'rayn baseras' to see how they can be improved. I want to thank Sashastra Seema Bal to help us set up this 120-bed night shelter home at AIIMS.

"It was important for us to set up night shelters for the patients who come for treatment at AIIMS, from others states during winter, as many of them have to stay back for tests and treatment. Though this night shelter will provide residing facilities only to 120 patients, but there are several other night shelters and vishram sadans that is serving the purpose for long, especially during winters," Nadda said.
According to the Health Ministry, AIIMS, a 2,200-bed hospital, witnesses over 10,000 patients daily and out of them 2,500 patients are indoor patients, who have to continuously stay in the hospital or nearby areas for the treatment.

The patients and the relatives are being provided with blankets, bed sheets, beds and breakfast and these night shelters also have proper washroom facilities, Secretary of SSB officers Wives Association Praneeta Jha said.

"We have been setting up such night shelters every year during the winters for patients and their kin, who come to Delhi for treatment so that they do not have to spend nights in the open," Jha said.
Babulal Meena, who has come from Rajasthan for the treatment of his four-year-old daughter has been staying at the shelter for the last two days, while waiting for the next consultation.

At present over 1,000 patients accompanied by their family members brave the cold as they camp outside AIIMS, near the metro station stairs or adjoining pavements.
On the occasion, Nadda also inspected the already running 100-bedded night shelters at the AIIMS trauma center premises that is being run by the Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF) and the 450-bed 'Vishram Sadan' set up by AIIMS and located near Safdarjung Hospital.