NEW DELHI: As our prime minister promises making “bureaucratic processes easier and shorter” to foreign investors, one of NDA’s pet projects back home is embroiled in red tape. The NDA government’s ambitious plan of setting up 11 new medical institutions similar to AIIMS across India is struck due to unavailability of land, inadequate water and power supply and, of course, red tapism. No specific time line has been drawn either for setting up of the new institutes under this plan.
Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh have already sent their proposals for setting up these institutes, but the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry is still engaged in “preliminary discussions” with the states. Sources said to solve teething problems, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has convened a meeting of state health secretaries on October 9. The secretaries are expected to discuss the technical details and initiate the process of deputing Central teams to states to examine the proposed institute sites.
Officials said almost all states have sent their proposals barring few states like Telangana, Uttar Pradesh (for a second institute in Poorvanchal) and few north-eastern states. The inspection team will comprise engineers, architects and other experts to look into the land position and its connectivity, power and water supply. Once the site is cleared by the Centre, consultants would be selected for preparation of designs and the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for medical college and hospital complex. Cost of the each institution would be finalised after the detailed project report is ready. Approximately 200 acres of land is required for the establishment of one AIIMS-like super-speciality hospital-cum-teaching institution. The location should have road connectivity, availability of water and electricity.
The Tamil Nadu government wanted the Centre to set up two such institutions in the state and has identified land for the purpose in five locations—Chengalpattu, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Madurai and Erode. The Central team is yet to visit the state.
However, identifying land for an AIIMS-like institution is a problem for the newly formed state of Andhra Pradesh. Responding to the Centre’s call, the Andhra Pradesh government had identified 120 acres of land near Mangalagiri. When the Centre insisted on more land, Andhra Pradesh government added another 70 acres. “We have sent the proposal with around 192 acres of land and gave in principle clearance for providing water and power. We are yet to know the exact quantum of water and power required. We are expecting the central team to visit in a week days,” said AP Health secretary L V Subhramanyam. Telangana is yet to identify land for the proposed institute. The Punjab government has shortlisted three sites of 200-acre each in Kapurthala and sent the proposal to the Health Ministry. The state health department is waiting for the Central team’s visit.
A multi-speciality hospital on the lines of AIIMS is also planned for Jhajjar, Haryana. The proposed hospital will also have facilities for cancer treatment, but the process is yet to begin. Sources in the health ministry said it would begin after the Assembly elections in the state. The Maharashtra institute is waiting for the assembly polls to be over.
Despite land acquisition issues, Kerala government has sent the proposal for setting up a new AIIMS-like institution. Assam and Goa have also sent their proposals to the Union Health Ministry. Though the new AIIMS-like institution in West Bengal was planned in the second phase of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), it could not take off due to site selection problems. Now the Union Health Ministry has decided to go by the proposal of the state government to set it up in Kalyani.
Setting up more AIIMS-like institutions in states was originally the landmark initiative of the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, when it announced the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). The current NDA government is taking this forward.
Under the PMSSY, six AIIMS-like institutions have already been established in states of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand.
Grand Health Care Plans
15 August 2003: the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana was announced
Six AIIMS-like institutions have already been established in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand under the PMSSY.
11 new institutes have been proposed in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Assam, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab and Haryana.
Requirement: 200 acres, road connectivity, availability of water and electricity.
Cost of construction and running of the new institutes would be met by the Centre