Bhubaneswar, July 15: The AIIMS regional centre here announced the introduction of several new services at the unit during the institute's fifth foundation day celebrations today.
Among the most important of them are the increase in the number of the hospital's operation theatres from five to eight.
"We have introduced three new operation theatres, including one for labour. These will cater to the needs of 12 surgical departments and we expect to perform at least 1,000 major surgeries a month. It is limited to about 500 now. We have also decided to operate two of these on a 24x7 basis," said AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, director Gitanjali Batmanbane.
The administrators have also added another four-bed intensive care unit (ICU) for paediatric patients. AIIMS already has a four-bed ICU for newborns. A new labour room has also started with four labour tables and five anti-natal and five post-natal beds. The new additions will help manage high-risk pregnant patients and will increase the number of deliveries per month.
"We have shifted the paediatric surgery ward to its designated area with an adjacent minor operation theatre," said a senior AIIMS administrator.
Paediatric bronchoscopy has also been started in the department allowing people to avail of the facility at low cost. Alongside, for the first time in Odisha, the department has started performing paediatric thoracic surgery, while the department of trauma and emergency has started a triage facility for segregation of critically ill patients. "We have introduced high definition video endoscopy for diagnosis and treatment of liver and gastrointestinal diseases in the department of gastroenterology. The machine will help in the early detection of cancer. In general surgery, we have started a multi-disciplinary breast clinic, coloproctology clinic and minimal invasive skills lab," Batmanbane said.
The institute has also started a 24x7 central laboratory facility where all types of bio-chemical, microbiological, pathological and haematological tests will be done. It has also introduced a cashless payment module for accepting payment from patients.
"It is a great move to offer such facilities and services. AIIMS has a name in the country and it should live up to expectations," said Jeet Mohanty, the attendant of a patient from Jatni.
The institute has also improved its academic sector and introduced a new course on of doctorate of medicine/mean cell hemoglobin (DM/Mch) a super-speciality course in the departments of neurosurgery, paediatric surgery and pulmonary medicine from this month. Two students have enrolled in the neurosurgery department and one student in paediatric surgery. The institute will also begin its first postgraduate courses, offered in 15 departments, from August. About 30 students have already joined the courses, while another 16 will join in August.
The institute has 137 faculty members and has advertised to recruit another 178. The interview for recruitments will start later this month and the administrators hope to add another 100 faculty members in the next six months.
