Maharashtra: AIIMS Nagpur may commence operations from 2018-19

Nagpur: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) which was supposed to commence operations on a temporary basis at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for the academic session 2017-18 will not take off the ground this year. While the AIIMS admission process has started, only the seven regular AIIMS centres are on display, with Nagpur nowhere in sight.

Though the government had initially planned to get AIIMS Nagpur off the ground for the 2018-2019 session, The state government and the Union Minister, Nitin Gadkari were trying their level best to get the Institute going for the 2017-2018 session.

In an attempt to commence operations at AIIMS for the 2017-18 academic session, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), had in December written to the centre requesting for a consent to get AIIMS operating from the GMCH on a temporary basis for the academic session 2017-18, It had in the same letter, assured all compliance for the same.

Pt Deendayal Upadhyay Institute of Medical Sciences and Human Resources, Director, Dr. Viral Kamdar, who is on the project said, "Since the list of institute is already out there is a minimum chance that AIIMS Nagpur will begin from the upcoming session."

"We are still trying. If at all things work for us and it is decided to begin AIIMS from 2017-18 session, a supplementary list might be released for any newly added AIIMS centre." said Kamdar, also an advisor to Mr. Gadkari, reports the TOI.

The centre also rejected ESIC Hospital, as a possible site, for beginning AIIMS on a temporary basis, in November 2016. It however, showed interest in GMCH as an alternative site for the new AIIMS project on a temporary basis, in a letter. It was decided that a central team would visit the GMCH for site inspection, at the end of January. However, the team has yet to visit .

The ever hopeful Kamdar stated that the team might still visit in the first week of February. If that happens an MOU would follow- between the centre and the GMCH. This would automatically lead to various formalities like staff appointments, infrastructural up gradations being completed at GMCH, at par with AIIMS.