It is final now! All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Telangana would be established at Bibinagar - which is a little over 40 km from the major tertiary health care centre, Osmania General Hospital. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare gave the approval and communicated it to the State Health Department on Thursday.

Officials from the State Health department are buoyant that the institute would start functioning at the earliest as they opined that ready-to-occupy building already exists and infrastructure is available at the campus where Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) Out-Patient services (OP) are offered. However, the approval comes with some conditions.

In an official communication dated July 26, the Ministry's Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana division's director Sanjay Roy stated that land free of encumbrances and the partially completed hospital building should be handed over by State government to Central government. Besides, additional 49-acres of land adjacent to the site has to be acquired. Apart from water and power supply, the State government have provided a four-lane approach road to the proposed site. In fact, additional 50-acres of land was already acquired and added to the existing 180-acre campus.

Speaking to Express, Dr C Laxma Reddy, State Health Minister, said, "The premium institute has all health facilities at one place which will benefit everyone and the Bibinagar campus is nearby Outer Ring Road. I will meet the team to discuss how to proceed. We wish the institute starts in six months."

The fervent pitch for AIIMS in Telangana began from second week of February-2017 when announcement was made in Lok Sabha assuring the premium institute to the State. In January 2018, Union Finance Ministry agreed to include TS AIIMS in 2018-19 Union Budget. On April 17, Union Finance Ministry gave 'In-principle approval' for the institute in State. In end of May, a five-member central team inspected the Bibinagar campus.