Bhubaneshwar AIIMS to add 300 more beds

BHUBANESHWAR: In the largest expansion ever since it began patient care in 2013, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here is all set to add 300 beds, begin radiation services for cancer patients and open Amrit (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) outlet to sell medical equipment at an affordable rate within the next two to three months.

"The hospital currently has 500 beds. It will go up to 800 soon. Some of the hospital buildings are in advanced stages of completion and would be put to use soon. With that the hospital beds will increase by 300," said Dr Dilip Parida, medical superintendent of the hospital.

Parida said AIIMS will also offer radiation services very soon. "Orders have been placed for equipment worth Rs 50 crore for radiation services such as linear accelerator. Computed tomography simulators and high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy (in which radiation is given to cancerous cells from inside the tumours). Man power is already in place. The service should start within three months," Parida told TOI.

Parida said the best part of brachytherapy is that it can be done as an OPD procedure. Currently, AIIMS offers only chemotherapy to cancer patients besides most diagnosis services for cancer. It has so far offered services to 22,000 cancer patients, he said.

Parida said every second woman diagnosed for cancer in past three years is suffering from breast cancer. The biggest problem is most of them come to the hospital very late, he said. Within this month, AIIMS is planning to open Amrit outlet, the medical superintendent said. Under Amrit, a central sponsored programme, the government would provide over 200 various medicines of cancer and cardio-vascular diseases besides orthopaedic and heart implants such as valves, stents and knee implants at an affordable rate.

The Central PSU HLL Lifecare (HLL) will establish and run the centre, based on prescriptions from doctors of AIIMS only. AIIMS New Delhi already has such a Centre.