AIIMS will roll out its outpatient services by January 2019

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Mangalagiri, will roll out its outpatient services by January 2019 three months before the schedule, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda said here on Friday.

The Minister told a review meeting, after inspecting works relating to construction of AIIMS on the site where a TB Sanatorium used to exist, that admissions would also begin in August 2018 and the students would be using facilities at Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada.

Mr. Nadda along with senior officers of the Health Ministry, Minister for Social Welfare Nakka Ananda Babu, Principal Secretary, health, Poonam Malakondaiah, former Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas, Guntur Collector Kona Sasidhar inspected the construction of Phase 1 of AIIMS which was taken up at a cost of ?272.54 crore.Construction of hospital and academic campus would be completed before February 20. 2019.

Foundation stone for the premier institute was laid in December 2015 and the work began in September 2017. The State government allotted 196 acres belonging to the Medical and Health Department, where a TB sanatorium had existed. “AIIMS is a special gift from the Union government to the people of Andhra Pradesh. Though we have started AIIMS centres in 13 places, the AIIMS in Mangalagiri is the biggest of its kind where the Centre is investing 1,600 crore,” said Mr. Nadda.

Later, M. Nadda drove down to the residence of State BJP president Kanna Lakshminarayana and spent close to three hours. Former Union Minister Daggubati Purandheswari, BJP SC cell president Dara Sambaiah, former Union Minister Krishnam Raju and several local leaders were present. He also interacted with local BJP leaders and asked them to gear up for the elections.