HYDERABAD:After securing in principle the approval for establishing an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) campus in Telangana, State Health minister Dr C Laxma Reddy would fly to New Delhi to meet Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare officials and urge them to expedite works.
Four-days ago, the State Health department received a memo from Union Finance Ministry official which stated that in principle the approval is given for establishing new AIIMS in the State. One of the first works that need to be done is identifying land. The Finance ministry official stated in the memo that land free from encumbrances must be secured for the proposal. A central team has to visit and approve the land identified.
It is learnt that Dr Laxma Reddy would visit New Delhi in a week or two to explain that they already have a 750-bedded building ready to occupy at Nizam's Institute of Medical Science-Bibinagar which is located in around 200-acres campus. The bed strength for AIIMS is 960-beds. If the existing building is approved, construction to accommodate more beds will be taken up.
Currently, NIMS Out Patient services are run from the building. Officials here said that if the central team approves the land and agrees to take over the building for AIIMS, they will shift the NIMS from Bibinagar campus.
"Around 200-acres of land is required for constructing AIIMS. Even if they don't want to take over the building, the campus will be shown to inspecting team as close to 200-acres of land is available there. In case the campus is falling short of space, we will request Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district collector to look into it," said officials from the Health department.
Health department's principal secretary A Santhi Kumari, NIMS director Dr K Manohar and other officials visited the Bibinagar campus on Tuesday to inspect the works underway there. Apart from hospital, the AIIMS will also have a medical college.