New Delhi, Sep 25 Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel on Friday called upon AIIMS Delhi to lead advanced clinical care, nurture healthcare professionals and guide the expanding AIIMS network.
Addressing the 71st Foundation Day celebrations of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, Patel said that since its inception in 1956, AIIMS Delhi has occupied a special place in the healthcare journey of the country.
She highlighted its contribution to redefining medical education, pioneering groundbreaking research and delivering high-quality patient care.
She underlined that “over the decades, the name AIIMS has become synonymous with clinical excellence and public trust”. She noted that while the institution has a distinguished legacy, this legacy also brings greater responsibility for the future and requires continued focus on national healthcare priorities.
The celebrations marked over seven decades of AIIMS’ contributions to healthcare, medical education, research and innovation.
Patel highlighted the transformation of India’s healthcare and medical education landscape.
She noted that the country has expanded from one AIIMS at the turn of the century to a network of 23 AIIMS institutions.
Since 2014, the number of medical colleges has increased from 387 to over 800, while undergraduate medical seats have increased from 51,000 to nearly 1.3 lakh, along with a substantial expansion in postgraduate opportunities.
She further added that the government envisions adding another 75,000 medical seats to further strengthen this framework.
“This expansion is not merely a matter of numbers but is closely linked to equity and access,” she said.
Patel emphasised that quality medical education must reach every region, advanced tertiary healthcare must be brought closer to citizens and the country must build a strong pool of doctors, nurses, scientists and allied healthcare professionals capable of responding to changing demographic and epidemiological needs.
She added that AIIMS Delhi has a special responsibility in this transformation as the apex mentor and as an institution that has established a benchmark for the rest of the country.
Speaking about the scale of healthcare services at AIIMS Delhi, Patel said that the institution’s enormous clinical volume should not be viewed merely through statistics.
Millions of outpatient visits represent individuals and families placing their trust in the institution, while admissions and surgeries represent situations in which patients entrust their lives to its doctors, nurses and support staff.
She emphasised that AIIMS is therefore not only a centre of medical excellence but also an institution of public trust, and that this trust has to be earned and nurtured every day.
Patel also highlighted AIIMS’ role at the forefront of advanced medical care and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), robotic surgery, organ transplantation and advanced diagnostics. She emphasised that “technology must remain an instrument for better patient care and should complement, rather than replace, human clinical judgement”.
She noted that “AI cannot replace a physician’s intuition, a robotic arm cannot replace a surgeon’s judgement and technology cannot replace the reassuring human presence of a nurse.”
She stressed the importance of maintaining a balance between scientific advancement and the human touch in healthcare.
Patel underlined that quality healthcare must also be reflected in the patient’s overall experience.
She called for the AIIMS premises to be made more navigable for citizens and emphasised the importance of empathy, clear communication, dignity and patient-centred care.
She also referred to the importance of patient safety and the collective responsibility of doctors, nurses, technicians and administrative personnel in ensuring safe and quality healthcare.
Patel emphasised that expansion of healthcare infrastructure must go hand in hand with quality. She noted that a new ward requires adequate nursing support, specialised services require trained professionals and digital initiatives should help reduce friction for patients.
She stressed that growth and quality must progress together and AIIMS Delhi should continue to demonstrate that expansion in scale can coexist with high standards of patient care.
Highlighting the growing importance of preventive healthcare, Patel said that India’s health priorities increasingly focus on prevention, early detection and timely management, particularly in the context of non-communicable and lifestyle-related diseases.
Referring to the shift in the policy approach towards prevention and health promotion, she called upon AIIMS to leverage its intellectual capital to contribute to public health policy, community health, lifestyle management and preventive medicine.
Patel also underlined the importance of the National Health Policy, 2017, and the broader shift towards preventive and promotive healthcare. She said that healthcare must address the country’s changing epidemiological burden while ensuring that citizens have access to affordable and quality services.
Highlighting the role of Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) in expanding access to healthcare and protecting vulnerable families from the financial burden of medical treatment, she noted that AB PM-JAY has completed eight years and has covered more than 62 crore beneficiaries, strengthening financial protection for people from poor and vulnerable backgrounds.
(PTI News)
