Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Thursday visited AIIMS Awantipora in south Kashmir and reviewed the progress of the institute, with the MBBS student intake set to increase from 50 to 120 seats.
The expansion is expected to strengthen medical education at the institute and contribute to better healthcare services in the region.
Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo expressed happiness over the development, saying the increased intake would help strengthen the medical sector and improve patient care.
During the review, Nadda stressed that AIIMS Awantipora should be made functional as early as possible. The institute’s Outpatient Department (OPD) services are also expected to begin soon, which would mark an important step towards making specialised healthcare available to people in Jammu and Kashmir.
During the visit, Itoo also raised the case of a Kashmiri MBBS student from Sopore whose mortal remains are in Bangladesh, and requested Nadda’s intervention to facilitate their repatriation. The mother of the deceased student also met the Union Health Minister and personally appealed for the return of her son’s body so that the family could perform his last rites. The matter was brought to Nadda’s attention, with the family seeking urgent assistance from the Union Government.
AIIMS Awantipora has been among the most anticipated healthcare projects in Kashmir. The institute was conceived to provide advanced tertiary care and medical education in the Valley, reducing the need for patients to travel outside the Union Territory for complex treatment. Its progress has been followed closely by the public, which has waited for the OPD to open.
An increase in MBBS seats from 50 to 120 is a substantial expansion. More seats mean more doctors trained within the region, and it adds to the faculty and teaching infrastructure that the institute must build in parallel. Medical education experts note that seat expansion typically goes hand in hand with requirements for faculty, clinical material and hostel and laboratory facilities, so the practical impact will depend on how quickly those are put in place.
The case of the Sopore student is a human concern that has drawn attention to the difficulties faced by families when a death occurs abroad. Repatriation of remains involves coordination between the Ministry of External Affairs, the concerned mission and local authorities, and families often depend on political and administrative support to speed up the process. The mother’s direct appeal to the Union Minister reflects the urgency felt by the family.
Further announcements on the start date of the OPD are awaited.
