NEW DELHI: In order to expand its operations, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) plans to acquire four government hospitals in the city to improve its treatment capacity. Sources privy to the developments said the premier medical institute is in talks to take over a hospital being built for paramilitary forces Central Armed Police Force Institute of Medical Sciences while discussions on managing Delhi government-run Indira Gandhi Hospital, NDMC’s Charak Palika Hospital and its extended facility are in the final stages.
Sources said that preliminary discussions between the Union Home Ministry, Union Health Ministry and AIIMS administration have concluded and the further process is underway. A final decision on the matter is awaited. However, the sources said that the ministries gave a positive response to the proposal.
If all goes well and AIIMS get permission to manage additional healthcare facilities, then it will be able to expand its bed strength up to 3,000, which will be a big relief for lakhs of patients who come to the premier institute from all corners of the country seeking specialised and affordable treatment. The bed scarcity forces patients to wait for a long period on stretchers, which is a regular scene outside its emergency. AIIMS itself has a bed capacity of nearly 3,300 which includes its main hospital and different centres.
However, the strength is severely inadequate if compared to the influx the hospital receives. Around 15,000 patients seek consultation in the hospital’s OPD on a daily basis. With the acquisitions of multiple hospitals, the combined bed strength will grow to 6,300 which is nearly double the capacity the AIIMS currently has. Because of this, the waiting period for treatment is long. Patients lie on stretchers for hours outside the emergency.
While 156-bedded Charak Palika and 1,200-bedded Indira Gandhi Hospital are operational, the construction of CAPIFIMS (800 beds) and the extended super-speciality facility of Charak Palika in Shantipath (800 beds) is still underway.
Final decision on the matter is awaited
Sources said that preliminary discussions between the Union Home Ministry, Union Health Ministry and AIIMS have concluded and the matter is under process. A final decision is still awaited.
