SRINAGAR — The promised August 2026 deadline for commencement of Outpatient Department (OPD) services at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Awantipora has passed without the facility becoming operational, prompting residents across Kashmir to seek an immediate start of at least OPD services.
Residents told news agency KNO that repeated postponement of deadlines had caused disappointment among people who expected AIIMS Awantipora to provide advanced and affordable treatment within the region and reduce dependence on hospitals outside Jammu and Kashmir.
They said the government had earlier stated that OPD services would commence by August 2026, while MBBS courses were expected to start in July this year. With the August deadline now over, they said uncertainty remained over when patients would be able to access the institution.
Residents also questioned the pace of operationalisation of the two AIIMS projects sanctioned for Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 — one at Vijaypur in Jammu and the other at Awantipora in south Kashmir.
“Both projects were sanctioned at the same time, but AIIMS Jammu has been functioning for the last two years, while people in Kashmir are still waiting even for basic OPD services at AIIMS Awantipora. We want to know why Kashmir is being subjected to such stepmotherly treatment,” residents said.
They argued that the issue was not merely about infrastructure but also about access to specialised healthcare for people living across Kashmir.
“For a patient from Kashmir suffering from cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders or other serious illnesses, travelling outside J&K is not an easy option. It involves huge expenditure on transportation, accommodation and treatment and puts an additional burden on already distressed families,” they said.
The residents urged authorities to start OPD services in portions of the institute that are ready rather than waiting for every component of the project to be completed.
They also appealed to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda to intervene and seek a time-bound status report on the operationalisation of AIIMS Awantipora.
The residents urged the J&K administration and Union Health Ministry to make public a clear timeline for starting OPD, inpatient and emergency services.
The AIIMS Awantipora project was sanctioned at an estimated cost of around ₹1,828 crore and envisages around 57 structures.
Once fully operational, the project is expected to add around 1,000 beds, including 300 super-speciality beds, along with a medical college with an annual intake of 100 MBBS students and a nursing college with capacity for 60 students annually.
The project was initially expected to be completed by January 2025, with the deadline subsequently revised to November 2025. However, according to the source material, it continued to face delays linked to land-related litigation, restrictions following the abrogation of Article 370, the COVID-19 pandemic, issues concerning a nearby Army establishment, adverse weather conditions and labour shortages.
Residents said operationalisation of AIIMS Awantipora would benefit not only Pulwama and adjoining districts of south Kashmir but the wider Kashmir Valley, particularly patients requiring specialised treatment.
“Kashmir has waited long enough. The Union Health Ministry must intervene and ensure that OPD services are started without any further delay,” they said.
The article first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse at https://kashmirpulse.com/health/people-seek-opd-services-at-aiims-awantipora-as-deadline-passes/116296.html
Post a Comment
Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.