All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 20: The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is shortly going to start postgraduate programmes here.

AIIMS director A.K. Mahapatra said this on the sidelines of events being held to celebrate the completion of its first academic year here today.

The institute is organising a host of scientific sessions and medical lectures to commemorate the event.

Additional secretary, Union health and family welfare ministry, S.K. Shrivastava, and eminent neurosurgeon professor A.K. Banerji inaugurated the two-day celebrations.

The institute, which had begun its journey with only 50 MBBS students last year, has already added a host of programmes to its list.

While 100 students took admission to the MBBS course in 2013, the institute introduced a BSc nursing course for 60 students in August. Residency programmes, including those for junior resident and senior residents, have been introduced for post-MBBS studies.

“Along with students, the faculty number has also gone up from 21 to 71,” he said.

Mahapatra said library books of Rs 60 lakh had been procured for the students.

“The 100-bed emergency and indoor facility proposed by the hospital will be ready by October,” he said.

Outlining the institute’s achievements in patient care services during the past year, the director said AIIMS had 28 departments and specialty clinics for ailments such as lung cancer, paediatric urology, pulmonary care, dental, pathology, thalassemia and others.

“Specialty clinics for sleep and pain have been getting very encouraging response,” he said.

The director said 20 per cent of the patients received at AIIMS were those referred by SCB Cuttack and MKCG medical college.

Besides, lab and radiology services, pathology, biochemistry, microbiology, X-ray and ultrasound facilities are now available on the campus.

“About 400 to 500 patients from across the state visit the hospital everyday. Though the number of patients from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are less, we are getting patients from Phulbani, Mayurbhanj and other far flung areas of the state,” an official said.

A blood donation camp was also held.