Will operationalise 750-beds in AIIMS Jammu in 2025: CEO Dr Shakti Gupta

Jammu, Jan 2: All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jammu, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Prof (Dr) Shakti Gupta Thursday envisioned operationalising 750-beds besides complete health care digitization in 2025.

He asserted that the focus would also be on expanding patient care services to manage 2500 daily OPD cases this year.

Sharing his vision for 2025 with the media, he stated, “Looking ahead, 2025 holds immense promise for AIIMS Jammu. With continued collaboration, we will set new standards of excellence, facilitating healthcare transformation in the region and beyond.”

“We aspire to establish a Centre of Excellence in Precision Medicine with Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology, serving as a referral hub for Northern India. In Inpatient and Emergency care, AIIMS Jammu has already managed 679 patients in our 100 operational beds, and we are set to expand to 250 beds within a month and 750 beds within six months,” Dr Shakti Gupta said.

Reflecting on significant achievements in 2024, which he described as an “eventful year”, he said that continuing the journey of excellence in Infrastructure, AIIMS Jammu launched its patient care services including OPD, in-patient, emergency and trauma and Operation Theatre (OT) in August 2024 in a phased manner.

“Since launching our OPD services on August 1, 2024, we have successfully catered to over 87,497 outpatient cases, including 65,993 new patients and 21,504 follow-ups, achieving an outstanding 99.61 percent patient satisfaction rate. This remarkable achievement reflects our collective dedication to excellence and the trust our patients place in us,” Dr Gupta said.

He informed that the Trauma and Emergency Department efficiently managed 3,135 cases, with 289 ICU admissions and 54 dialysis sessions performed to date.

“Surgical services have also shown remarkable progress at initiation, with 281 successful surgeries performed across multiple specialties since the launch of OT services on September 17, 2024. Our professional and committed teams continue to deliver high-quality interventions and the future looks even more promising as we continue to expand our capabilities,” CEO AIIMS Jammu said.

Giving a brief account of infrastructure up-gradation for improved health care services, he said that the state-of-the-art diagnostics at AIIMS Jammu, including 3 Tesla MRI, 128-slice CT and advanced screening technologies, supported over 3,409 USG scans, 554 MRI scans, 896 CT scans and 5,926 X-rays, ensuring that the patients received timely and accurate diagnoses.

“We welcomed the 5th batch of MBBS students raising the strength from 62 to 100 students, launched the B Sc Nursing programme and initiated postgraduate and super specialization medical courses,” he said.

Dr Gupta said that in 2024, AIIMS Jammu achieved remarkable strides in research, leading to sanction ICMR funded multi-centric projects and advancing 95 research initiatives. “In 2025, we aim to further enhance innovation and collaborative research in actual patient care settings to set new benchmarks in healthcare excellence,” he said.

In this connection, he pointed out that the Institute was committed to innovation and its digital Indoor Patient Navigation System and other patient-centric initiatives, like smart payment cards and shuttle services, further enhanced the patient experience, ensuring convenience and accessibility.

According to him, AIIMS Jammu was also enhancing the residential complex with thoughtful additions such as a cycle track, soft music, and a crèche. “This will ensure a comfortable, healthy and a friendly living environment. Focused on promoting wellness and physical fitness, AIIMS Jammu has world-class sports facilities, including a fully equipped gym, indoor sports complex, multiple outdoor courts, and dedicated play areas, aiming to foster a healthy and active lifestyle for our community,” he said.

“As we continue our journey toward becoming a ‘global village’, AIIMS Jammu is poised to welcome international students and establish a Counseling and Study Centre. We also plan to invite national and international renowned guest faculty to enrich our patient care, academic and research arenas,” he stated.

Dr Gupta asserted that upcoming centres of excellence including telemedicine, nursing, cancer care and hospital administration would position AIIMS Jammu as a leader in healthcare and education.

Pointing out that AIIMS Jammu’s journey, right from its inception, was guided by “Trinity of Mission”, of Medical Education Research and Patient Care, he said, “We firmly believe that medical education must be rooted in strong values, research should aim for the highest quality, and patient care must be driven by evidence-based practices. At AIIMS Jammu, we integrate clinical and community care to impact lives profoundly, ensuring our benchmarked healthcare initiatives reach every corner of society with dedication and excellence.”

“We will continue to build on our successes and make AIIMS Jammu a beacon of hope, trust, and excellence in healthcare,” Dr Gupta said, while extending his gratitude to all stakeholders and authorities, in particular the Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, the team at Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHF&W) and the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.