Construction work in progress at AIIMS-Patna. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan’s prod failed to speed up the much-delayed construction of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna.

AIIMS-Patna director G.K. Singh, on the sidelines of the second foundation day of the institute on Thursday, said: “The pace of construction work of the AIIMS-Patna project is literally zero. We have been given a deadline to provide fully functional AIIMS within a fixed deadline. But how can we do so if the building is not handed over to us on time?”

The director said the officials of the construction firm told him that it would be able to hand over only some portion of outpatient department (OPD) by September-end or October 15.

“At present, we are running the OPD in the Ayush and PMR building. We would be able to shift the OPD to the building meant for it but we won’t be able to utilise the whole building. We are also planning to start our 24x7 emergency department in the Ayush and PMR building once OPD shifts from there. However, if we start the emergency services, we won’t be able to attend head injury patients, as CT Scan and MRI machines have still not been provided to us. Nor would we be able to treat patients related to cardiac patients, as we are yet to get heart lung machine for the cath laboratory,” said director Singh.

Speaking about the controversy surrounding the appointment of faculty, the director said there was no cloud over the next phase of recruitment of doctors at AIIMS-Patna.

But sources said there has indeed been a controversy over the recruitment, which prompted the Centre to form a committee to look into the matter.

“The standing selection committee of AIIMS-Patna would recruit in due course. The ministry of health and family welfare has not issued any directive that the standing selection committee won’t conduct any further recruitment,” said director Singh.

AIIMS-Patna kept the second foundation day programme a low-key affair. Director Singh gave a speech on the occasion in which students of state-run medical colleges, including Patna Medical College and Hospital and Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, took part. He told students about the modern technology being used in the AIIMS-Patna classes.

The students’ council of AIIMS-Patna organised a rangoli competition, dumb charade and some other competitions.