New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) The Central Government has clarified that there is no proposal to establish a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Jabalpur or elsewhere in the Mahakaushal region of Madhya Pradesh.
This was stated by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question on Tuesday.
Responding to queries raised by Congress MP Vivek K. Tankha regarding the establishment of an AIIMS-like institution of national repute in the Mahakaushal region, particularly Jabalpur, which serves as a key hub for tribal and backward districts, the minister informed that under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), 22 AIIMS have been approved across various states and Union Territories.
This includes one functional AIIMS at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. No new AIIMS is proposed for Jabalpur under the scheme, the minister said in the reply.
Instead, efforts are directed towards strengthening existing facilities. Under PMSSY, approval has been granted for upgrading Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (NSCB) Medical College in Jabalpur on a Centre-State sharing basis. This includes the construction of a 206-bedded Super Speciality Block featuring six operating theatres and seven specialised departments: Neurology, Neurosurgery, Nephrology, Urology, Cardiology, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS), and Neonatology.
The project has been completed, enhancing tertiary care capabilities in the region. To expand medical education and address healthcare gaps, the government has supported new institutions under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for establishing medical colleges attached to district or referral hospitals.
The Chhindwara Institute of Medical Sciences in Chhindwara has been set up, and another medical college in the Mandla district of the Mahakaushal region has received approval. Further strengthening measures include increasing seats at existing colleges.
Under schemes for upgrading government medical colleges, 100 undergraduate (MBBS) seats have been approved for NSCB Medical College, Jabalpur, and 50 for Chhindwara Institute of Medical Sciences. Additionally, 57 postgraduate seats have been sanctioned for NSCB Medical College, Jabalpur.
The minister also addressed shortages of doctors, specialists, and faculty, noting that public health is a state subject, with responsibility primarily on the state government. For AIIMS Bhopal, sanctioned faculty positions stand at 312 with 239 in place, while non-faculty positions are 3,874 sanctioned and 2,910 filled, the reply said.
To mitigate impacts on healthcare delivery in tribal and rural areas of Mahakaushal, interim steps under the National Health Mission provide financial and technical support to states for improving access, especially for vulnerable populations.
Under the Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), 50-bedded Critical Care Blocks have been approved at a unit cost of Rs 23.75 crore each for medical colleges or district hospitals in Jabalpur, Katni, Narsinghpur, Seoni, Chhindwara, Balaghat, Mandla, and Dindori.
These initiatives aim to bolster specialist availability and tertiary healthcare without establishing a new AIIMS, focusing on upgrades, expansions, and targeted infrastructure in underserved areas.
–IANS
sktr/uk
