Rushikesh Patel, the state Health Minister of Gujarat, announced today, Friday, February 23, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the state's first All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rajkot on Sunday, February 25.
According to the ministry, on February 25 the prime minister would dedicate five AIIMS to the country from Rajkot.
PM Modi is going to inaugurate the in-patient department (IPD) of the super-speciality hospital at Para Pipaliya hamlet on the outskirts of Rajkot city, Patel told reporters in Gandhinagar. The OPD of the facility is already operational, a report by PTI reports.
Through video conference, Modi laid the cornerstone for Rajkot AIIMS in December 2020.
"Spread across 201 acres, Rajkot AIIMS is a world-class hospital with 720 beds, including ICU and super-speciality beds. On February 25, the prime minister will inaugurate 23 operation theatres, 30-bed AYUSH block and 250 beds of IPD. The remaining beds will be made available gradually," Patel said.
He claimed that the hospital was constructed for a total of Rs 1,195 crore and that the outpatient department had already treated about 1.44 patients.
The prime minister is scheduled to arrive at Rajkot AIIMS on Sunday afternoon, February 25, and will speak at a rally at the city's Race Course field later in the evening, according to a government announcement.
According to the statement, he will participate in a roadshow spanning a kilometre from the old airport to the public rally's location.
The prime minister will also essentially inaugurate four more recently constructed AIIMS during the event; they are situated in Kalyani (West Bengal), Bathinda (Punjab), Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh), and Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh), according to Patel.
The Centre spent Rs 6,300 crore building the five super-speciality hospitals, including the one in Rajkot, he added.
