A medical giant born from a political refusal
In short: AIIMS Delhi was never supposed to be in Delhi. Originally proposed by Jawaharlal Nehru for Calcutta, the institute only landed in its current home after West Bengal's leadership refused the offer. Today, it stands as a massive public research university and hospital serving nearly 15,000 patients daily.
The genesis of AIIMS Delhi is rooted in a post-independence vision for high-standard medical education within India. While Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru initially envisioned the institute in Calcutta, it was established in New Delhi after Chief Minister Bidhan Chandra Roy declined the proposal. The foundation stone was laid in 1952, and the institute officially began its journey with the AIIMS Act of 1956, introduced by Health Minister Rajkumari Amrit Kaur.
The institution has evolved from a tertiary-care center designed for a limited number of patients into a primary care hub facing immense demand. To manage this growth on a 213.12-acre campus, the government approved a Master Plan in February 2019. This ₹10,345 crore initiative aims to transform AIIMS into a world-class medical university by optimizing land use through vertical expansion and consolidating services into a 'One Campus' model.
The scope of AIIMS extends far beyond its main Delhi campus. It includes the Jhajjar Extension (AIIMS-II), which features a 710-bed National Cancer Institute modeled after its US counterpart, and the Ballabhgarh campus for rural health practice. Additionally, it operates an apex center for drug dependence treatment in Ghaziabad. By 2024, the institute aims to increase its bed capacity from 2,478 to approximately 5,500 to accommodate its massive daily footfall.
The redevelopment plan is a logistical feat intended to solve chronic shortages of labs and operation theaters. It involves relocating residential facilities across multiple campuses—including West Campus and Ayurvigyan Nagar—to free up space for research and clinical applications. The project is slated to be completed in two phases, with the first phase taking 46 months and the second taking 70 months.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi
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