Centre agrees to upgrade RIMS Imphal to AIIMS status; Manipur CM expresses gratitude to JP Nadda

New Delhi/Imphal:In a significant decision aimed at strengthening health infrastructure in Manipur, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda on Monday agreed to upgrade the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal to the status of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), officials said.

A senior official in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that Nadda, during a meeting with Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh in New Delhi, informed him that RIMS would be upgraded to the status of AIIMS.

The Chief Minister expressed his profound gratitude to the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister for his support towards improving the health sector in the state. Nadda also agreed to approve the proposal for the establishment of a new medical college in Manipur’s Senapati district, the CMO official said.

Referring to his meeting with the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, the Chief Minister, in a social media post, said: “We discussed issues related to improving the health sector in the state. The Union Minister has agreed to upgrade RIMS (Regional Institute of Medical Sciences), Imphal to the status of AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences).”

“I expressed my profound gratitude to the Union Minister of Health for taking care of improving the health sector in the state. Nadda has also agreed to approve the proposal for the establishment of a new Medical College at Senapati District in the state,” he said.

The proposed decisions are expected to significantly strengthen Manipur’s healthcare infrastructure and expand access to specialised medical facilities for people from different parts of the state and the wider northeastern region.

It may be noted that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a meeting with Khemchand Singh in New Delhi on August 26, had agreed to lay the foundation stone of the Senapati Medical College during his proposed visit to Manipur in the first week of October this year.

The state Cabinet, at a recent meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, had proposed the establishment of a new medical college in Senapati district, which is predominantly inhabited by Naga tribal communities.

Manipur already has two other state-run medical colleges — the Churachandpur Medical College in the Kuki-Zo tribal-inhabited Churachandpur district and the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal.

The Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, located in Imphal, is one of the premier medical institutions in the Northeastern region and caters to patients and students from Manipur and other neighbouring states.

The proposed upgradation of RIMS to AIIMS status and the establishment of a new medical college in Senapati are expected to further augment medical education, healthcare services and specialised treatment facilities in Manipur.

IANS