Raju Bista asks for AIIMS in north Bengal

PRASHANT ACHARYA, EOI, SILIGURI, DECEMBER 20, 2023 : Darjeeling MP Raju Bista on Wednesday advocated in Lok Sabha for the establishment of an AIIMS in north Bengal. “Our region, encompassing eight out of the 23 districts of West Bengal — Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, and Malda—is home to approximately 30 million people,” he said. 

“The majority of our residents, engaged in tea estates, cinchona plantations, and farming, face economic challenges with an average monthly family income of only Rs 6000 to Rs 7000. Affording treatment in private hospitals is beyond their means, while government-run facilities in West Bengal lack adequate staff, infrastructure and essential equipment. 

In the hilly terrain, hospitals mainly provide referral services; resulting in numerous deaths due to the absence of proper healthcare facilities.
Vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children suffer disproportionately in the lack of specialized care.” 

He said the Centre had provided funds for an AIIMS in north Bengal but the project was diverted to south Bengal by the Trinamool Congress government, perpetuating the health facility crisis in north Bengal. Given these dire circumstances, I have urgently called for the establishment of AIIMS in North Bengal.