Bilaspur MLA raises demand for AIIMS in Chhattisgarh assembly session, Bilaspur identified as appropriate location for next AIIMS in Chhattisgarh: Singh Deo
Raipur: In the Chhattisgarh Assembly session on Friday, Bilaspur MLA Shailendra Pandey raised the issue of establishing an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bilaspur to provide better healthcare facilities. He stated that people of Bilaspur and Surguja region face difficulties in accessing quality healthcare, and with the presence of AIIMS in Raipur, patients have to be sent there for treatment. The establishment of an AIIMS is essential for the residents of Bilaspur and Surguja, with a combined population of over 1.50 crore.
Pandey demanded an announcement from the Health and Family Welfare Minister TS Singh Deo, regarding the establishment of AIIMS in Bilaspur during the assembly session. Senior BJP MLA Dharamlal Kaushik also supported the demand for the establishment of AIIMS in Bilaspur.
Leader of Opposition Narayan Chandel and MLA Dharamjeet Singh also supported his demand.
Health Minister TS Singh Deo said in the assembly that a semi-governmental letter was written by the state government to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to establish an AIIMS hospital in Bilaspur. We all know that establishing an AIIMS hospital is a difficult decision and indeed a big one, and AIIMS hospitals were not established throughout the country, and there may still be some states where there are no AIIMS hospitals.
Recently, media coverage came out that the central government is considering the possibility of having at least 2 AIIMS hospitals in a state, not a relatively small one. When I went to Bilaspur, MLA Shailendra Pandey raised this issue. Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel is also aware of this issue, and I have consulted with him as well. Whether it is a matter at the state or national level, their decision is necessary.
Considering that if another AIIMS is established in Chhattisgarh in the future, it should be located in Bilaspur. Where should the first option for the second AIIMS be located in Chhattisgarh? There are 5 regions in the state. The AIIMS in Raipur serves the people of the Durg region. However, the largest region in terms of the number of MLAs is Bilaspur, from where 24 MLAs come, while 14 come from Surguja and 12 from Bastar. Taking into account the population, Bilaspur and Surguja regions together have a population of one crore or more. People come for treatment from Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh in AIIMS located in Chhattisgarh.
He announced in the assembly that chief minister has also agreed to consult on this matter and that if the next AIIMS is to be established in Chhattisgarh, the department and state government have identified Bilaspur as the appropriate location to establish the AIIMS.
