Srinagar, Sep 11 (KNO): With the promised deadline of August 2026 for commencement of Outpatient Department (OPD) services at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Awantipora having passed without the facility becoming operational, residents across Kashmir have urged the government to immediately start at least the OPD services and sought the intervention of the Union Health Minister in expediting the process.
Residents told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) thaat the repeated postponement of deadlines has caused widespread disappointment among people who had hoped that AIIMS Awantipora would provide advanced and affordable treatment within the region and reduce their dependence on hospitals outside Jammu and Kashmir.
They said the government had earlier stated that OPD services would commence by August 2026, while MBBS courses were expected to start from July this year. However, with the August deadline now over, there is growing concern over when patients will actually be able to access the institution.
Locals questioned the disparity in the pace of operationalisation of the two AIIMS projects sanctioned for Jammu and Kashmir in 2019—one at Vijaypur in Jammu and the other at Awantipora in south Kashmir.
"Both projects were sanctioned at the same time, but AIIMS Jammu has been functioning for the last two years, while people in Kashmir are still waiting even for basic OPD services at AIIMS Awantipora. We want to know why Kashmir is being subjected to such stepmotherly treatment," residents said.
They said the issue should not be viewed merely as a matter of infrastructure but as a question of access to specialised healthcare for millions of people living in Kashmir.
"For a patient from Kashmir suffering from cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders or other serious illnesses, travelling outside J&K is not an easy option. It involves huge expenditure on transportation, accommodation and treatment and puts an additional burden on already distressed families," they said.
Residents urged the government to start OPD services in the portions of the institute that are ready instead of waiting indefinitely for every component to be completed.
They appealed to Union Health Minister J P Nadda to personally intervene and seek a time-bound status report regarding the operationalisation of AIIMS Awantipora. They also urged the J&K administration and the Union Health Ministry to make public a clear timeline for starting OPD, inpatient and emergency services.
The AIIMS Awantipora project was sanctioned at an estimated cost of around Rs 1,828 crore and envisages around 57 structures. Once fully operational, it is expected to add around 1,000 beds, including 300 super-speciality beds, a medical college with an annual intake of 100 MBBS students, and a nursing college with capacity for 60 students annually.
The project was initially expected to be completed by January 2025, with the deadline subsequently revised to November 2025. However, it continued to face delays due to land-related litigation, restrictions following the abrogation of Article 370, the COVID-19 pandemic, issues concerning a nearby Army establishment, adverse weather conditions and labour shortages.
Residents said the operationalisation of AIIMS Awantipora would significantly benefit not only Pulwama and adjoining south Kashmir districts but the entire Kashmir Valley, particularly patients requiring specialised treatment.
"Kashmir has waited long enough. The Union Health Ministry must intervene and ensure that OPD services are started without any further delay," they said—(KNO)