Kalyani, Sept. 13: A team of Union Health Ministry that is monitoring the ongoing construction work of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Kalyani on Thursday asked the agencies to complete their work before the targeted schedule as it has decided to begin admission process of first batch of 50 students in August 2019.
“I want to see the AIIMS Kalyani complete in all aspects as a running hospital with service to patients and for education by March 2020 without fail. But, prior to that we would begin the medical education. Take whatever steps you feel necessary to meet the target preferably ahead of the schedule”, head of the monitoring team Professor K.K.Talwar, who is Ministry of Health’s chief adviser to AIIMS-Kalyani told the officials on Thursday at the Basantapur site.
The Union Health Ministry has decided that even by any chance the campus is not prepared for study; students will be temporarily accommodated outside for short time and brought to campus within two or three months.
A five member monitoring team headed by “Padmabhushan” Professor K.K.Talwar, a renowned cardiologist and former head of Medical Council of India, visited the site and expressed satisfaction about the progress of work.
AIIMS site In Basantapur, Kalyani
Talwar was accompanied Sanjoy Ray, Director of Union Health Ministry’s flagship project “Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana”. Roy also told all the agencies including the WBSEDCL and PHE to initiate all out efforts to complete the work of first phase by December 2018, so that the outpatient department (OPD) become functional by April next 2019. Officials of state health department and Sub Divisional officer of Kalyani Unis Rishin Ismail accompanied the monitoring team.
‘Pray and work hard so that the people of Nadia and adjacent places of the state could become beneficial getting treatment at the AIIMS”, said Talwar.
At the same time he has set December 2019 as the targeted deadline to complete ongoing works of second phase, being executed by Ahluwalia Contracts (India) Limited so that the AIIMS can become fully operational by March 2020 services of a running.
The construction of multistoried OPD building and two blocks of residential building under phase-I started by Andhra Pradesh based KMV Projects Limited in 2016. The state government has been coordinating with centre’s executing wing Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation Limited (HSCC Ltd) to help development of pre-service infrastructure on the 179.82 acres land for the proposed Rupees 1754-crore project.
Meanwhile the work for 58.8 lakh square ft phase-II has also been started simultaneously with Phase-I work by Ahuliwalia Contracts (India) Limited, which include another OPD, nursing college, medical college, laboratories, auditorium, Ayush clinic, Dharmashala, administrative building.
“We are trying our best and so far been able to maintain the stipulated time line and hopeful to complete the phase two works to make the AIIMS functional as directed by the health ministry’, said Amit Sharma site in charge of Ahluwalia Contracts (India) Limited’s
Professor K.K.Talwar said, “We are trying our best to begin the medical education which will be started with 50 students, but the number of students will gradually be increased with the completed infrastructure”.
SDO Kalyani Unis Rishin Ismail said, “The monitoring team expressed satisfaction over the progress of work. There are, however, certain issues which they have pointed out for solution which will be done soon to provide further pace to work”