GUWAHATI, Nov 9 - The site for the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to be set up in Assam is yet to be finalized and the Assam Government has selected three sites for examination by a team of the AIIMS, New Delhi.
Official sources told The Assam Tribune that the State Government would have to provide land for the setting up of the AIIMS in Assam and three sites have been selected in North Guwahati, Khetri and Nagaon. However, though people of different parts of the State are agitating for the setting up of the AIIMS in their respective localities, it is up to the Centre to select the site.
A team of officials of the Health Ministry already visited the State and surveyed the sites identified by the State Government. However, the report of the team is awaited. Moreover, a team of the AIIMS, New Delhi is likely to visit the State soon for on the spot survey of the sites to find out which site would be most suitable.
The State Government has already sent a formal invitation to the Director of the AIIMS, Dr MC Mishra to visit the State for examining the sites identified. Sources revealed that several factors like infrastructure of the area, distance from the airport, distance from the railway station, place for landing of choppers for easy evacuation of critical patients, etc., would be looked into while selecting the site for the setting up of the AIIMS.
Sources said that the State Government first sent a proposal for setting up of an AIIMS in the State way back in 2001 and former director of the premier Health Institute Dr Ramesh Deka also played a key role in pushing forward the proposal. Finally, the project was included in the Union Budget in the current financial year. However, it is still not decided as to when the actual construction of the project would start.
