Monday’s Rajya Sabha session brought to light glaring deficiencies at AIIMS Raebareli, as Congress MP Pramod Tiwari demanded accountability from the government. Inaugurated over a decade ago, the facility continues to operate far below potential, with acute shortages in medical personnel and infrastructure hampering its role as a healthcare and teaching hub.
Tiwari elaborated on the specifics: beds reduced to 610 from an initial 960, only 37 senior residents against 200 approved slots, and a mere 7 professors out of 33 positions. He reminisced about the 2013 foundation laying during UPA-2, emphasizing Sonia Gandhi’s pivotal role, and criticized the lack of progress as politically motivated, noting no budgetary support in the newest fiscal plan.
‘Education and health cannot be politicized,’ he stressed, urging swift recruitment and funding to revive the institute. Concurrently, MP Rajani Ashokrao Patil voiced anguish over Maharashtra’s Marathwada, particularly Beed district’s 250+ farmer suicides this year. Attributing it to recurring droughts, floods, and debt burdens, she called out the disparity in loan enforcement—small farmers pushed to despair while elites evade justice—and pushed for statutory MSP to empower growers financially.
The session highlighted interconnected challenges in public health and rural economies, signaling a clarion call for comprehensive, unbiased governmental action to safeguard vulnerable populations.