AIIMS Growth Under PMSSY Enhances Healthcare Access, Says Minister

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, stated that the major advances made so far under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) include setting up 22 All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in India. 

Through the establishment of AIIMS, healthcare delivery has been advanced by ensuring that tertiary care is available in areas that were previously underserved, bringing world-class service to patients. These institutions have amalgamated excellence in healthcare with services that span the entire continuum of care from preventive, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative. 

All of these services, including advanced diagnostics, trauma services, emergency services, critical care, organ transplants, neonatal intensive care, and management of chronic illnesses, are now available to patients in one institution.

 Jadhav stated that a multi-disciplinary approach to provide health care at AIIMS has not only improved care/comprehensive, holistic, but also helped with tertiary hospital overload. Their significant contributions have also been in health education, early detection of disease, and through their outreach programs have begun to even close the gap on the healthcare urban-rural divide.

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In the Rajya Sabha, while responding to questions put forward by Parliament member Smt. Kiran Choudhry, the Minister, mentioned that because of AIIMS' expansion, in the past five years, regional imbalances in tertiary healthcare have been reduced considerably. The Minister also acknowledged that while undergraduate, postgraduate, super-specialty courses, fellowships and other training in allied health disciplines, AIIMS has produced highly skilled medical professionals.

The government has established 22 AIIMS' under PMSSY to demonstrate its commitment to better health care access and medical education and by establishing some AIIMS in far-removed areas, millions can benefit from advanced treatment, while also contributing to India's pool of qualified medical professionals.