Representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office, New Delhi, and the Department of Public Health and Medical Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh, visited the Skill Lab and Nursing College of AIIMS Bhopal.

This visit aimed to strengthen pre-service nursing education in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The delegation included Dr. Hilde De Graeve (Team Leader, Health Systems, WHO Country Office for India), Ms. Rakshita Khanijou (National Professional Officer, Health Workforce, WHO, New Delhi, India), and Dr. Rajashree Bajaj (Joint Director, Nursing, Department of Public Health and Medical Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh).

They were warmly welcomed by Prof. (Dr.) Ajai Singh, Executive Director of AIIMS Bhopal who highlighted the pivotal role of nurses in the healthcare system of India and emphasized the importance of high-quality clinical training, nursing education, and patient care.

Over the past two years, AIIMS Bhopal has undertaken several initiatives to improve pre-service nursing education. These initiatives include the establishment of a Nurse-Led Clinic, the KARUNYA initiative for compassionate care, an exit module for nursing students to prepare them for their professional careers, an increased intake capacity for the BSc (Nursing) program, the introduction of a competency-based nursing curriculum, and a postgraduate fellowship course on compassionate and palliative care nursing.                                Prof. Singh stated, "AIIMS Bhopal is committed to reducing regional imbalances in healthcare service delivery through close cooperation with the state government, National Health Mission (NHM), and global health agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO)."           

During their visit, the WHO team interacted with faculty members, undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students, and commended AIIMS Bhopal for its efforts to maintain high standards in clinical training and nursing education.