AIIMS Bilaspur has crossed a significant milestone with operationalisation of the state-of-the art Renal Transplant ICU & Facility. Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda during his visit to Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, today visited the high-end facility. During his visit he interacted with the first renal transplant recipient who had recently undergone transplant surgery and the donor and enquired about their health; both are recovering well.

Shri Nadda expressed happiness on starting of the transplant services at AIIMS Bilaspur within a short period of its operationalisation. He stated that “the commencement of renal transplant services at AIIMS Bilaspur marks a notable milestone in the history of the institute and will fill a long-standing void in availability of transplant services in Himachal Pradesh”. He emphasised “with this life-saving therapy available inside the state for those in need of kidney transplants, an initial grant of ₹2 crore has been sanctioned which will immensely help the poor and needy who lack resources for such costly treatment.” The Union Health Minister noted that the facility is also available under PMJAY and HimCare health insurance schemes. The facility will act as a catalyst for establishment of multiorgan and bone marrow transplantation services in the near future. It is expected to assist 50-100 patients each year, in addition to raising awareness about organ donation.

During his visit, Shri Nadda visited different facilities of the institute and enquired about availability of various patient care services and their functioning.

The Union Health Minister also chaired a high level meeting to review working of the institute and evaluate the implementation of important healthcare initiatives.  Shri Anurag Thakur, MP (Lok Sabha), Shri Jai Ram Thakur, Ex Chief Minister and Leader of opposition, Himachal Pradesh and senior officials from AIIMS Bilaspur, Union Health Ministry and the State Government were also present during the review meeting. The institute’s achievements, current projects, and future goals for improving healthcare services in Himachal Pradesh were discussed at the meeting.

During the review, Shri Nadda praised the remarkable growth of AIIMS Bilaspur since its foundation was laid by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on October 3, 2017. He noted that significant milestones have been achieved by the institute since its launch, including the successful start of telemedicine services in May 2021, which has since helped over 20,000 patients across Himachal Pradesh. OPD, radiology, and diagnostic facilities were opened in a limited capacity. AIIMS Bilaspur is equipped with 250 bed inpatient services, emergency and trauma care services, and advanced diagnostics like MRI and CT scans. Shri Nadda said that “healthcare facilities like the Cardiac Cath Lab and Radiotherapy services, which were opened earlier this year, have strengthened the institute's ability to provide specialized services for the benefit of the masses”.

With 614 students now studying in various undergraduate, Post Graduate and super-specialty medical courses, B.Sc. (Hons)(Nursing) and B.Sc. (Allied Health Sciences) courses, the Union Minister expressed satisfaction with AIIMS Bilaspur's dedication to medical education and research. It is anticipated that the 2025 launch of Ph.D. programs would enhance AIIMS Bilaspur's scholarly contributions to medical research.

The Union Minister announced that work on construction of a 250-bedded Night Shelter (Vishram Sadan) at the cost of Rs 25.6 crore sponsored by PowerGrid is going to start very soon. Shri Nadda also announced approval of the Union Government for various infrastructure projects worth Rs. 178 crores for the institute. These include 72 dwelling units, 204 bedded UG Boys Hostel, 334 bedded UG Girls Hostel, 4 Lecture Halls for the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences and a 538KWH Solar Rooftop Power Plant.   He also announced procurement of a PET-CT machine at a cost of Rs. 22 crores which is undergoing installation. The availability of this facility in Himachal Pradesh will improve the treatment of patients of cancer and inflammatory diseases.

Shri Nadda further announced approval of Government of India for setting up a Regional VRDL (Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory) in AIIMS Bilaspur at a cost of more than Rs 18 crore. Apart from this, he announced that 29 posts of Assistant Professors in the disciplines of Anaesthesiology (16), Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (3), Trauma, Emergency & Critical care (10) have been created by the Government, apart from 98 non-faculty posts of various categories. He stressed that filling up of these posts will enable round the clock functioning of labs as well as proper utilization of expensive equipment and sophisticated machines, leading to effective functioning of the OTs.

During the review, a number of crucial issues were discussed. AIIMS Bilaspur proposed for integration of its drone and ambulance services with the district health resources to effectively cut down on the time it takes to transfer patients and medical samples from remote locations. The Union Health Minister appreciated the proposed use of drone technology in healthcare, its integration with Ambulance services and assured all support for its implementation in very near future.

Shri Nadda reiterated the government's commitment to continue fortifying the healthcare infrastructure in the region. He commended the advancements made by AIIMS Bilaspur within a short span of its establishment and stressed that the people of Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring regions would continue to benefit immensely from the top-notch medical education and healthcare services provided by the institute with active cooperation of the Govt. of India and the state government.

With focus on providing high quality healthcare services to the people of Himachal Pradesh and the neighbouring areas, the establishment of 38 departments, comprising 17 clinical wide specialties and 13 super-specialty departments at AIIMS Bilaspur has considerably increased the scope of its medical offerings. The facility features many critical care units (ICUs), including medical, surgical, paediatric, and neonatal ICUs, and 690 operational beds. Since starting operations on a full scale, the institution has treated over 5,00,000 outpatients and 35,000 inpatients, offering life-saving treatments through its expanding array of therapeutic and diagnostic services. The institute is already performing complex surgical procedures, laparoscopic surgeries, Cardiac Cath lab interventions, cardiac stent placement procedures, Neurosurgeries and joint replacement surgeries.

Comprehensive cancer care services are available with fully functional Radiotherapy department offering Linear acceleratory beam therapy and chemotherapy. The ongoing installation of Gamma Camera and PET CT facility in the nuclear Medicine Department will further augment the cancer care services to the level of best available anywhere in the country.

Smt. Ankita Mishra Bundela, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Prof. (Dr.) Randeep Guleria, President, AIIMS Bilaspur; Prof. (Dr) Vir Singh Negi, Executive Director, AIIMS Bilaspur; faculty members and senior officers of the Union Health Ministry were present.  

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MV

HFW/HFM visit to AIIMS Bilaspur /04^th October 2024/1