AIIMS Jammu treated over 3.68 lakh OPD patients in just over a year: CEO

Samba, Dec 27 (PTI) All India Institute of Medical Sciences Jammu has established itself as a national benchmark in healthcare delivery, medical education and research, treating over 3.68 lakh OPD patients in just over a year, officials said.

AIIMS Jammu has taken the lead in introducing several patient-centric initiatives, including the Indoor navigation app, patient care manager and rogi sahayak mitra system, parikrama seva e-carts and the swasthya app for appointments and diagnostics, they said.

"AIIMS Jammu has rapidly emerged as a national benchmark in healthcare delivery, medical education and research, reflecting the Government of India's vision of strengthening regional medical infrastructure," Executive Director and CEO of AIIMS Jammu, Prof Shakti Kumar Gupta, told reporters here.

Prof Gupta said that the institute has so far treated over 3.68 lakh OPD patients, admitted 8,783 inpatients and managed 22,810 emergency cases.  The hospital was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2024 and has been operational since August of the same year.

Prof Gupta said that surgical services have expanded rapidly, with 3,283 successful surgeries performed in eight functional, advanced, modular operation theatres.

"The ICUs have provided critical care to 1,297 patients, while the Dialysis Unit has delivered 1,624 sessions," he said.

He further stated that the institute completed the construction of its 43 buildings in a record time of three-and-a-half years, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Its execution earned national recognition at the 170th CPWD Annual Day, where it received the Best Project Award," he added.

The CEO said these achievements, along with recognition in Outlook's 2025 survey, securing the seventh position in the Government Medical Universities Ranking, have positioned AIIMS Jammu as a symbol of trust and progress.

On the diagnostics front, Dr Gupta said the institute has conducted more than 60,022 X-rays, 34,480 ultrasounds, over 13,515 CT scans and 4,060 MRIs, ensuring access to state-of-the-art investigations for people of the region.

He added that AIIMS Jammu has operationalised multiple super speciality departments, including Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Neurosurgery, Neurology, Urology, Surgical Oncology, Gastroenterology, Neonatology and Cardiology, substantially reducing the need for patients to seek treatment outside Jammu and Kashmir.

Prof Gupta also highlighted the Centre for Advanced Genomics and Precision Medicine, the only such facility across all AIIMS, where high-end genomic testing is conducted in-house.

"Alongside a rapidly expanding Oncology Unit, the centre is enabling comprehensive cancer care, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy," he said.

He added that the Department of Biochemistry provides round-the-clock laboratory services, processing 500 to 700 samples daily using fully automated systems capable of analysing over 200 biochemical parameters within two hours from a single blood sample, with a throughput of more than 2,000 tests per hour.

Results are made available online through a mobile application, ensuring faster and patient-centric diagnostic services.

Referring to patient-focused initiatives, Prof. Gupta said a dedicated AYUSH screening wing ensures that patients arriving without appointments are not turned away.

On the academic front, he said AIIMS Jammu has expanded from one MBBS batch of 50 students to 100 students per batch, with six MBBS batches currently underway.

Two batches of B.Sc. Nursing has also been admitted, along with postgraduate programmes including MD, MS, MDS and M.Ch. in Paediatric Surgery.

With over 140 research projects, including extramural-funded and student-led studies, AIIMS Jammu has established itself as a research-driven institution, Prof Gupta said.

He added that collaborations have been forged with the University of Alabama (USA), IIT Jammu and IIM Jammu, with CSR support from leading banks and institutions.

Looking ahead, he said the institute is being developed as a "Global Village" with planned centres of excellence, expanded super speciality services, rural health outreach and a proposed Global Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. PTI AB HIG HIG