Launched in Phase 4 of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) alongside 16 others, AIIMS Kalyani (West Bengal) commenced MBBS classes from the academic year 2019-20. With their OPD and IPD services operationalized, these recently set up AIIMS institutes across India were seen as monuments to the Government's efforts to increase medical professionals and facilities available to the general public. However, according to reports from India today on 26th June [1], obtained through the Right To Information (RTI) petition, most of these institutions are running behind schedule due to monetary, environmental and bureaucratic hurdles that stall the progress, including those in Bathinda, West Bengal, and Assam. Many projects remain non-operational, like those in Madurai, Awantipura, and Manethi even though they were sanctioned years ago [2]. The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) has further seen reductions in funding, impacting progress.
The lack of resources made headlines, when AIIMS Kalyani had to ask for the state's help to conduct a postmortem of the 10-year-old Kultali rape-and-murder case victim at JNM Hospital, Kalyani.
In response to this, Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed the Union health secretary to scale up the facilities at AIIMS Kalyani at par with AIIMS Delhi or AIIMS Rishikesh by Dec 31.
What’s the use of setting up an AIIMS in the state if infrastructural help has to be sought from a state hospital?
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, Kolkata High Court
Justice Ghosh also expressed concerns about the substandard medical education being provided to MBBS students at AIIMS Kalyani in the absence of proper practical training in post-mortem examinations.
While the victim's family informed the high court that they had no complaints regarding the post-mortem procedure, the court emphasized the need for improved medical infrastructure to prevent similar situations in the future and urged the need to ensure that institutions like AIIMS Kalyani are fully equipped to handle such cases independently.
(Input from various sources)
Rehash/Dr. Chhavi Garg/MSM
