We aim to compete with the world’s leading medical institutions: Delhi AIIMS Director | Latest Delhi News

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the Capital is the busiest medical institution in India, handling a daily load of 15,000 outpatients. This is a 20-30% increase from what it was before the Covid-19 pandemic. While the volume of patients has increased, so has the vacancy for doctors. Director-AIIMS, Dr. M. Srinivas, who joined AIIMS New Delhi in 1994 and took over as director of the institute in September 2022, spoke to Hindustan Times about the challenges facing the institute and his vision for its expansion both in clinical activity, as well as in research.

The hospital has about 30% faculty posts vacant, according to a recent Parliament response. Many senior doctors have also quit in recent years, further increasing the shortage. What is being done to fix this?

There is no lack of junior doctors, nurses and health personnel; however, there is a shortage of elderly residents. Till March 2023, the institute had a total of 1,207 sanctioned posts for doctors and professors, which has since been increased resulting in more vacancies. Every six months, there are recruitments. Some recruits stay a year, while others stay longer. Currently, only contractual recruitment happens to meet immediate demand, which is a long-standing practice. Meanwhile, the regular recruitment process is ongoing.

To reduce the patient load, AIIMS had earlier announced that it would start tele-screening services and collaborate with other city government hospitals for patient referrals as part of a hub and spoke model. What is her status?

We started a telescreening service during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, we have the e-Sanjeevani facility that allows patients quick and easy access to doctors and medical specialists using even smartphones. There is also an option for doctor-to-doctor referrals through e-Sanjeevani. The initial plan was to treat critically ill patients at AIIMS and refer them to other city hospitals for treatment. However, the plan is still in the works.

After the incident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, what steps have been taken to enhance the safety of staff, especially women?

We conducted a security audit and performed a detailed gap analysis to identify blind spots and poorly lit areas. We have restricted certain paths and improved general security measures. Now all entry and exit points are strictly guarded.

The lack of dormitory facilities, especially for students, was repeatedly highlighted. What is being done to solve this problem?

Previously, we had a capacity of 2,000 boarding house beds, which has since increased to 4,000. However, with the increase in the number of patients, the number of doctors has also increased and more students need dormitory facilities. There is a master plan that is almost complete. We are confident that within a few years we will have adequate dormitory facilities for all resident doctors.

What areas would you like to focus on for AIIMS in the future?

Now that the cleaning process is complete, we will focus on improving efficiency. We have implemented transparent systems and established good governance practices. We would now focus on improving efficiency, competence and performance indicators. The main objective is to compete with top medical institutions worldwide.