AIIMS to get Rs.1,500 crore upgrade

The health ministry has drawn up a major plan for massive upgradation of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) by injecting nearly Rs.1500 crore over the next three years to expand and improve the infrastructure as well as services at the country's premier health institute.
The detailed plan, chalked out by the health ministry , include making all patient-related services online. Starting from the registration process to seeking appointments for consultation with doctors and even prescription and appointments for diagnostics will be made online.
Besides, the blueprint outlines major expansion of the institute's physical infrastructure. A new out patient department (OPD) is expected to be made functional by 2018-19, for which an outlay of Rs.573 crore has been earmarked. The ministry also plans to build a new private ward and a new hostel block at a cost of around Rs.92 crore and Rs.32 crore respectively. The expansion plan also includes augmentation of various departments such as mother and child care, AIIMS trauma centre, departments of rheumatology , emergency medicine and others. The idea is to manage the increasing footfall and demand for healthcare at AIIMS in a better way , an official said. “Everyone understands the importance of the institute in providing care to patients from across the country . While we have envisaged civil infrastructure and capacity expansion, we also want to address the time management at both the patient as well as doctor's end,“ he said. Government estimates show 30,000-40,000 patients visit AIIMS' OPD every day .
The three-year plan will be implemented in phases and a lot of work has already begun.
The institute has already started linking the Unique Health Identification number, which is assigned to patients during registration, with Aadhar and also giving appointments online. Within one year, the government plans to make the whole process, including doctor consultation and appointments for diagnostics, online. At a later stage, it also plans to make available all patient related records online.
Construction of the new OPD is expected to begin by end of this year.