Bhubaneswar, Jan. 30: The Union government has decided to create more super speciality wards and decrease the number of general wards in the six new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences.

“We have decided to cut down the number of general wards and instead add super-specialty wards in fields such as neurosurgery, oncology, cardiology and kidney transplantation,” said Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was here to review the progress of the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.

He said that recently the government had released funds for upgrading the district hospitals. “The AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, will have 39 super speciality wards,” he said, adding that the purpose of the decision was to make the institute a major healthcare provider in the eastern region of the country.

The government is working towards increasing the percentage of medical seats by 100 per cent in the next two years. “Of these, 80 per cent seats will be increased at postgraduate level. We have also decided to increase the seat capacities from 150 to 250 in almost all medical colleges, including the private ones,” he said.

Speaking about the construction, the minister said that the institute had made “good progress”. “I have asked the agencies to fix up a timeline everyday and follow it religiously. With proper coordination, the hospital will be completed this year by July,” he said. Right now, the priority is to construct staff quarters and hostels.

Azad urged the students to return to their home states and serve in rural areas after they completed their courses. “They must be taken to visit villages and hamlets from time to time so that they see and understand the reality. Instead of aspiring to practice in cities, the students must invest the first few years of their life serving the poor villagers who are deprived of basic facilities.”