AIIMS in Rishikesh will not only benefit the people of Uttarakhand but also prove beneficial to people from other parts of the nation. AIIMS Rishikesh will be developed into an institute better than AIIMS in other States, said Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna while speaking at the function organised to welcome the first batch of BSc (Honours) Nursing here on Tuesday. Bahuguna said that the students here will have to work hard to meet the expectations of the public which holds AIIMS in high regard. The State Government will do everything possible needed to develop AIIMS Rishikesh into an international level institution, he said.
“Doctors and nurses pursue a sacred profession. Passion is necessary for serving humanity. I hope that those who become doctors and nurses from here will voluntarily offer their services in rural and remote areas. There are challenges in all spheres of life but these challenges can be faced successfully with high morale and self confidence,” said the CM.
Referring to the recent disaster, Bahuguna said that the people of Uttarakhand ignored their own problems and help stranded devotees from across the nation. Nearly 1.18 lakh stranded people were rescued. He said that though considerable relief had been provided to the disaster affected people, a lot more relief and redevelopmet works need to be done. Attempts are being made to restrore the tourism activities in the State where conditions are returning to normal.
AIIMS director Prof Rajkumar said that 60 students have secured admission in the first session of BSc (Honours) Nursing. This is a four year course which includes six months mandatory internship. The students have been selected on the basis of merit in an All India Entrance Examination. At present, the college has a lecture theatre, Nursing Skills lab, Nursing Information Science lab, etc. The college building is under construction and will be completed soon. The college will also introduce more courses like MSc Nursing, super-specialty nursing, nursing fellowship, PHd nursing and advanced nurse practitioner’s course.
last year, 50 students were admitted for the MBBS course, but this year the number has risen to a hundred. OPD services have also been started and a hundred bed hospital will also start functioning soon.
At AIIMS Rishikesh, the focus will not only be on health services but also on treatment, nursing education and research. Work has also been undertaken on a Meta-analytical system to research the transmittable and non-transmittable diseases in the State.
Dr Inderjeet Walia, former principal, National Institute of Nursing Education, PGIMER, Chandigarh, shared his vision regarding the nursing profession. Dr Suresh Sharma, Professor and Principal, AIIMS-Rishikesh Nursing College welcomed the gathering and briefed it on future programmes. The welcome ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Professor (Dr) latika Mohan, Dean, AIIMS-Rishikesh.
The event was coordinated by Dr Manu Malhotra. Also present on the occasion was Deputy Director Sunil Kumar, Medical Superintendent Dr Ashok Kumar, Superintending Engineer Kundan Singh Negi, Dr Surekha Kishore, Dr Saurabh Vaishney, Dr Pratima Gupta, Dr Jaya Chaturvedi, Dr Shobha and Rakesh Kumar.