Srinagar, Aug 01 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir has two All India Institute of Medical Sciences projects sanctioned under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana. While AIIMS Vijaypur in Jammu is functional, the AIIMS at Awantipora in South Kashmir is still under construction, more than six years after being approved.

The status was revealed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. Both projects were approved on January 10, 2019, but while Jammu’s facility is operational with limited capacity, the Kashmir-based AIIMS continues to face delays.

According to the data, AIIMS Vijaypur, Jammu currently has only 32 ICU beds and just one ventilator ambulance.

No data is available yet for ICU beds or ambulance services for AIIMS Awantipora, which remains under construction with no official completion date mentioned in the reply.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

The central government’s PMSSY scheme has so far sanctioned 22 AIIMS projects across India, with varying levels of completion. Jammu and Kashmir remains one of the few Union Territories where one of the two AIIMS facilities is still not functional more than five years after its announcement.

The government also confirmed that all Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support ambulances in J&K, including those attached to AIIMS, are integrated with the 102 and 108 emergency helpline numbers, which are operated under the National Health Mission (NHM).

The Union Ministry added that funds for these projects are centrally allocated, but land acquisition, construction, and operational readiness often involve coordination between central agencies and UT-level authorities.(KNS)