President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday conferred degrees on 92 students at the first convocation of AIIMS Bilaspur, urging the graduates to place people’s needs at the centre of their work and strengthen healthcare access in remote and inaccessible areas.
Addressing the ceremony in the presence of Himachal Pradesh Governor Kavinder Gupta and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, President Murmu said the institution’s first graduating batch had a special responsibility to shape its identity and legacy through their conduct, commitment and service.
“The field of medicine is not just a field of science and technology. It is actually a field of compassion and trust as well,” she said.
The President congratulated the graduates and gold medallists, along with the parents, guardians and teachers who supported their academic journeys. She reminded the students that the medical profession carried a responsibility towards humanity.
Given AIIMS Bilaspur’s geographical location, President Murmu called on the institute and its graduates to strengthen tertiary healthcare in the region through telemedicine, expert consultations, training of medical personnel and modern technology. She particularly emphasised the needs of people with limited access to specialised care.
Highlighting the role of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in reducing healthcare costs for economically vulnerable families, she said eligible beneficiaries received health cover of ₹5 lakh per family annually. More than ₹2 lakh crore had been spent on treatment under the scheme, she noted.
President Murmu urged stakeholders to ensure that information about health protection measures reached people in far-flung areas. She also called on leading institutions such as AIIMS to develop basic, cost-effective healthcare solutions.
Encouraging graduates to remain lifelong learners, she asked them to keep pace with changing medical practices and translate research into innovations that improved people’s lives.
Speaking at the ceremony, Nadda highlighted the expansion of medical education, saying the number of medical colleges had increased from 384 to more than 800, while undergraduate medical seats had risen from 51,348 to 1.42 lakh.
The government aims to add 75,000 undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats by 2029, he said, including an allocation of ₹15,000 crore to create 10,000 additional MBBS and postgraduate seats.
Nadda said 16 new AIIMS had been established in the past 12 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, widening access to quality medical education and specialised healthcare. He noted that the country had only one AIIMS for several decades.
At AIIMS Bilaspur, bed capacity had expanded beyond the initial target of 750 to 776, with 26 specialties and 15 super specialties fully functional, the minister said.
The institute now provides complex surgical procedures, cardiac catheterisation interventions, neurosurgery, comprehensive care, cancer care and radiotherapy services. Nadda said this progress had been achieved within five years, while cumulative outpatient consultations had crossed 12 lakh and inpatient admissions exceeded one lakh over the past four years.
Praising the faculty and staff, he expressed confidence that AIIMS Bilaspur would soon be on a par with other AIIMS institutions. He urged graduates to uphold its reputation and carry its values of excellence and service into their professional lives.
Governor Gupta said the institute was bringing specialised healthcare closer to residents of Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring states, particularly those in remote and tribal areas.
Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks at the institute’s inauguration, Gupta said AIIMS Bilaspur had strengthened the state’s health sector through its contributions to healthcare, education and research. He urged graduates to place compassion, sensitivity and service at the centre of their careers and contribute to building a Viksit Bharat.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also extended his best wishes to the graduates and the institute.
Of the 92 students awarded degrees, 43 completed MBBS, 26 BSc Honours Nursing, nine BSc Allied Healthcare and 14 MD/MS programmes.
President Murmu presented gold medals to meritorious students across disciplines. The recipients were Sagarika and Rakshit Vashishth from MBBS, Bhawna Thakral from BSc Allied Healthcare Science, Bhavya Malhotra from BSc Honours Nursing, and Prateek Goel from MD in Community and Family Medicine.
AIIMS Bilaspur admitted its first MBBS batch in January 2021, followed by its first Allied Healthcare Sciences and Nursing Sciences batches in 2022. The institute was formally inaugurated in October 2022 in the presence of Modi and has since expanded its academic, clinical and research capacities.
During 2024-25, it recorded more than three lakh outpatient consultations and provided emergency medical services to over 17,000 people. It performed more than 3,500 major surgeries, over 900 minor surgeries, more than 1,000 cardiac catheterisation procedures and over 3,200 dialysis sessions. Its diagnostic laboratories conducted more than 10 lakh tests during the year.
Around 620 students currently pursue undergraduate, postgraduate and super specialty courses at the institute.
Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Mahajan, AIIMS Bilaspur Executive Director Lt Gen (Dr) Daljit Singh (Retd) and institute President Prof (Dr) Narendra Kumar Arora were also present at the ceremony.
