Realising that the two-year timeframe fixed by the erstwhile UPA Government is too short a period for commissioning AIIMS-like institutes involving massive infrastructure, the Modi-led NDA Government has now kept the five-year deadline for commissioning such institutions in the country.
Hence, as the Union Health Ministry, will go to the Cabinet next week to get approval for construction of three more AIIMS-like institutes in Maharashtra (Nagpur), Andhra Pradesh (new Capital Amravati) and West Bengal (Kalyani), it will seek five years time frame for completion of the projects.
The move to extend the time frame follows concerns being raised over the ability of the six AIIMS-like institutions in Bihar (Patna), Chhattisgarh (Raipur), Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal), Orissa (Bhubaneswar), Rajasthan (Jodhpur) and Uttarakhand (Rishikesh), constructed under the first phase of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), to provide the quality of medical care.
The UPA Government had set a deadline to make medical colleges at six sites functional from academic year 2012-13 and hospitals by the year 2013-14.
“However, as the target for completion of these projects were kept just with an aim to win the elections and not to ensure quality, till date these institutions continue to face problem whether it is about infrastructure or faculty,” said a senior official from the Health Ministry.