AIIMS Delhi to open its surgery block from November-end

NEW DELHI: In a major infrastructure upgrade, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is planning to open its surgery block from November-end. Initially, OPD services for the patients requiring surgery and follow-ups will be conducted at the newly constructed block and gradually even in-patient services will be made operational, sources said.

Confirming the development, a senior official of the institute said, “We are planning a soft launch by the end of the month.”

The surgery block of AIIMS was planned as a separate unit over a decade ago, but the construction took longer than expected. The 200-bed facility has 12 operation theatres and provision for state-of-the-art ICU facilities.

Officials said once operational, the new block would help the institute perform more surgeries and it would help reduce the waiting time for critically ill patients requiring surgery. At present, there is a wait time of up to three years for many surgeries at AIIMS, including those for cancer.

Earlier, in July this year, AIIMS partially opened the newly constructed mother and child block for the public. It has 400 beds and 12 operation theatres, among other facilities that are dedicated solely for mother and child care.

The mother and child block of AIIMS was also conceptualised over a decade ago to decongest the main OPD. In 2014, its foundation stone was laid to start the project. However, due to various factors such as paucity of funds and then the Covid-19 pandemic, officials said, operationalisation of the project got delayed.