All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rishikesh

About College: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) was first established in New Delhi in the year 1956. It is attached to a government hospital by the same name. Over time, the name AIIMS came to be associated with excellence in the field of medical education. Cracking the entrance test for AIIMS became a hallmark for millions of young aspirants to crack in India. A multitude of coaching centres sprang up to cater to this enormous need. Those graduating from this institution were almost guaranteed professional success. However, by the time of the Tenth Five- year plan (2002-07), it was realized by the central government that the number of quality institutions dedicated to medical education was not sufficient. There was a need to scale up the numbers. So, it was decided to open new AIIMS campuses. Six new were inaugurated in the year 2012 in – Bhopal, Jodhpur, Rishikesh, Raipur, Patna and Bhubaneshwar. Two more were further established in 2018 at – Nagpur and Mangalgiri (Andhra Pradesh). Plans are already afoot to have another thirteen all over the country, spread across the states. The AIIMS Rishikesh in the state of Uttarakhand was inaugurated in 2012 for the academic sessions alone. The adjoining two hundred- bed hospital though was started two years later in 2014. The hospital has now expanded to a five- hundred-bed facility. Rishikesh is a very important religious and adventure tourism hub. There are three major colleges within this to take care of the academic streams. One is under the ministry body of AYUSH. It stands for homegrown medical disciplines namely – Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. This ensures the promotion of alternative medical practices. Another is the College of Nursing. Here, courses are available right from the UG till doctoral levels. The BSc. in Nursing goes on for a four- year duration while the MSc. is a two -year course. Both full- time and part- time options exist for the PhD. In addition, there is also the option of a diploma in the same, for working practitioners who need to upgrade their skill levels. The third major college here is the Medical College. This is divided into multiple departments running into forty- one to be precise. Examples of these departments include the likes of- Urology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Dentistry, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Community & Family Medicine, CTV Surgery, General Medicine, General Surgery, Microbiology, Medical Oncology, Nephrology, Neurology, Neonatology, Hospital Administration, Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Neurosurgery, Nuclear Medicine, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Physiology, Psychiatry, Pulmonary Medicine, Transfusion Medicine, Surgical Oncology, Radio Diagnosis, Radio Therapy and a few more. The five and a half year MBBS is run by the Medical College. It also runs the MD and MS courses at the PG level. Most of these departments provide super- specialized training within their area of expertise. The hospital adjacent to the medical college is also extremely well- serviced. It conducts a series of Public Health Lectures to educate the public on various medical and healthcare preventive practices. The online registration system here runs quite smoothly. Lab reports are also available online. The blood bank here is well- stocked. It is connected to the national facility called the e- Rakt Kosh so that medical facilities can share resources using the platform. Research is given much prominence here at the AIIMS Rishikesh. Several projects have been completed by the research teams here, and few more are ongoing. Projects have been both internal as well as externally funded ones in collaboration with others. There are quite a few projects being worked on in collaboration with the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research). Other projects have been with the DBT (Department of Bio-Technology) and the DST (Department of Science and Technology). Standard treatment guidelines have also been well laid out. The disposal of medical waste is another crucial area as the non- compliance can lead to the spread of hazardous infections. To this effect, a detailed annual report is prepared each year, laying down the work done. Several areas are being proposed for further research work. A Neurology Lab already exists. In addition, plans are afoot to create a Research Core centre. There is an Institute Ethics Committee that has been set up to ensure that all operations abide by the set of values cherished by the institute itself and the society at large. All this and much more has led to extremely high ranks being secured by the institute across platforms. The AIIMS Rishikesh finds itself on rank 43rd among medical colleges by the Careers 360 magazine. This corresponds to a AAA rating on the same platform. It has also been recognized as an Institute of National Importance (INI) by the Government of India.