Union Health Minister inaugurates 60th Institute Day Celebrations of AIIMS

AIIMS Excellence and Research Awards, 2014-15 were given away for basic and clinical sciences

JP Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, recently inaugurated the 60th Institute Day Celebrations of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. He also inaugurated a public health exhibition dedicated to the theme ‘Be Clean–Be Healthy’ and launched the logo for the diamond jubilee celebrations of AIIMS on this occasion.

Nadda assured that the government is committed to ensuring that the new AIIMS will meet the same standards of service as AIIMS, New Delhi. He said, “No effort will be spared to make them the very best. AIIMS has created a benchmark in the field of healthcare not only at the national level but internationally also. It has a great testimony and we must try to replicate it in the new 15 AIIMS.” He noted that the new Institutes will be ‘AIIMS’ and not ‘AIIMS-like.’

The health minister said that the government has extended all support for major expansion programmes of AIIMS with a new mother and child block, an OPD block and a National Cancer Institute. Proposals for expansion of the trauma centre and development of Western Campus of AIIMS are also underway, he informed. These expansion plans would fulfil the long felt needs of the apex medical institution in the country, he stated.

Nadda appreciated the theme of the exhibition ‘Be Clean, Be Healthy’ and stated that the theme explained the salient features of ‘Kayakalp,” a scheme which was recently launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for promoting and encouraging sanitation and cleanliness in hospitals. He informed that the institute has done considerable progress under the ‘Clean and Green AIIMS’ campaign launched in July this year.

The minister also gave away the AIIMS Excellence and Research Awards, 2014-15 for basic and clinical sciences and congratulated the awardees.

Also present on the occasion were, Prof MC Misra, Director, AIIMS; Prof SK Acharya, Dean Research, Prof Balram Airan, Dean Academic; Prof OP Kharbanda, Chief CMET, Chiefs of Centres, Faculty Members and senior residents of the institute. Also present was Prof S Rajasabapathy of Ganga Medical Centre and Hospitals, Coimbatore who delivered the 21st AIIMS Silver Jubilee Oration speech.