Gandhinagar: In one more gift to Gujarat by the son-of-soil Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government in Centre, the State is going to get All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS). Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel who is also Health minister today in his briefing here said AIIMS will come up at Rajkot. He said once the land (near Khandheri stadium) which is already identified is allotted by district collector of Rajkot, tendering process for AIIMS will begin. AIIMS in Gujarat will have 800 to 1,000 bed hospital and medical college facilities. Construction of AIIMS will conclude in four years. Rs. 1200 crore project will facilitate medical care of 1500 patients every day on an average.

‘Director EMSSY division, ministry of Health, Government of India’s letter dated 31st December 2018 has been received by Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Government of Gujarat yesterday over mail. As per the detail in this mail, the Government of India has selected a location in Rajkot for setting up AIIMS in Gujarat. The Government of Gujarat has already earmarked land near Khandheri stadium in Rajkot for setting up AIIMS,’ Nitin Patel said.

The state government had given proposal of both Vadodara and Rajkot as venue to the union government for setting up of AIIMS but the expert committee for selection has selected Rajkot finally.

Nitin said that the setting up of AIIMS in Gujarat would also give boost to research work in medical sector in the state.

To a query he said that there were medical colleges in other areas of the state also and in city like Ahmedabad there were super specialty cancer, heart and kidney hospitals too.

To a query about the said annoyance of BJP MLA in Vadodara Yogesh Patel for non-allotment of AIIMS to his city, Patel said that all the people’s representatives including MLAs and MPs in Vadodara want better facilities to be set up in their area and there was nothing wrong in it. The state government had offered to provide free of cost land and other related things including electricity for AIIMS at both Rajkot and Vadodara but the expert committee after detailed study has chosen Rajkot.

‘The revenue and health department in Gujarat would now see to it that the land required for the project was handed over to the union government at the earliest. The cost of construction of the AIIMS would be borne by the union government,’ he said.

He said that it was lamentable that Congress during its rule had never bothered to set up AIIMS in Gujarat. ‘They had not even sent any proposal in this regard. It was only after then CM Narendra Modi became PM that the state could get AIIMS,’ he said.

DeshGujarat