Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate Gujarat's inaugural All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rajkot on February 25, as announced by the state Health Minister, Rushikesh Patel, on Friday. This inauguration marks the initiation of one of five AIIMS institutions that will be dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister during the ceremony in Rajkot on the specified date.
As per Patel's statement to reporters in Gandhinagar, the out-patient department (OPD) of the super-speciality hospital located near Para Pipaliya village on the outskirts of Rajkot city has already commenced operations. However, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the in-patient department (IPD) during the forthcoming ceremony. It is noteworthy that Modi initiated the establishment of Rajkot AIIMS by laying the foundation stone via video-conferencing back in December 2020.
Rajkot AIIMS, sprawling across 201 acres, stands as a state-of-the-art medical facility boasting 720 beds, which include specialized units such as ICU and super-speciality beds. Scheduled for inauguration on February 25 by Prime Minister Modi, the facility will unveil 23 operation theatres, a 30-bed AYUSH block, and an initial 250 beds for in-patient care, with the remaining beds to be gradually commissioned, as confirmed by Patel. The establishment of this hospital comes at a cost of Rs 1,195 crore, with the outpatient department (OPD) already catering to approximately 1.44 million patients to date.
In accordance with a government release, Prime Minister Modi is anticipated to arrive at Rajkot AIIMS on Sunday afternoon, followed by an address at a rally held at the Race Course ground later in the evening. The prime minister is also slated to participate in a kilometer-long roadshow from the old airport to the rally venue, as outlined in the statement.
During the function, the prime minister will also virtually inaugurate four other newly-built AIIMS, located in Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh), Bathinda (Punjab), Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh), and Kalyani (West Bengal), Patel said. The five super-speciality hospitals, including the one in Rajkot, have been built by the Centre at a cost of Rs 6,300 crore, he said.