Nagpur: All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (
AIIMS), which is coming up at Mihan, is set to host the first-ever parking area for a helipad attached to a hospital in the city.
Incidents of policemen and paramilitary forces needing emergency medical attention in Naxalite-affected districts are frequently reported in Vidarbha. In such cases, the injured are rushed to the city through aeroplanes. They are brought to city airport and then taken to hospitals. With the provision of a helipad on AIIMS premises, the injured from other districts or adjoining states can get medical treatment at the earliest.
To have a 'city connect', it has been decided that the helicopter space will be surrounded by a sprawling orange garden to be set up in recognition with National Research Centre for Citrus (NRCC). The garden will also host an ayurveda clinic. As one enters through the main gate of AIIMS, the sprawling garden can be seen on the left side.
All this has been included in the master plan of AIIMS, the design of which has been approved by Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC). Accordingly, the construction began in September.
"With the outpatient department and residential zone, we will be ready to launch the first phase of AIIMS in February 2019," said Sandip Jain, an official from Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation Limited (HSCC), which is executing the project.
Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari has been pursuing the project at every stage since the beginning. Gadkari's advisor Dr Viral Kamdar said, "It took a little time to get the clearances and begin the work. But ever since the construction began, things are moving quickly. We are happy with the development. Ultimately, the project will reflect the work of all the globally renowned agencies working in collaboration here."
The 150-acre campus comprises healthcare, academic and residential zones to create a holistic environment of the premier medical science institution. Globally renowned architecture firm Perkins Eastman, along with Edifice Consultants, is designing the entire project estimated to be completed in 2020.
The project is designed to be a completely accessible site, where automobile and service vehicles may ply. However, priority is given to pedestrians and bicycles in an 'eco-conscious campus'.
According to Perkins Eastman, the campus has been designed to accommodate enormous outpatient demand. "AIIMS here is projected to eventually serve a population of 365 lakh from eastern and southern regions of Vidarbha and Marathwada, respectively," said an officer of the firm.
The agency team comprises experts from its offices in Charlotte, Dubai, Los Angeles, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC. "The team was formed keeping in mind the scale of the project, the timeline and programmatic complexity," said the agency.
AIIMS, Nagpur, is one of three comprehensive AIIMS campuses being designed by the firm. The other two are, AIIMS Kalyani (West Bengal) and AIIMS Guntur (Andhra Pradesh).
