Srinagar, Apr 26: Multiple deadlines have lapsed for AIIMS Awantipora since 2019, when this project was announced.
The new timeliness included starting OPD Services in March-April, and full operations by the end of this year.
With a history of falling behind in progress, will AIIMS Kashmir, located in Awantipora catch up in the next seven months?
AIIMS Kashmir was conceived under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), and site identified at Awantipora. New AIIMS are aimed at making world-class tertiary and super-specialty healthcare accessible to people across India.
However, years after the announcement, the project tells a story of logistical hurdles, unanticipated security situations and according to some, the gross error in selection of site.
AIIMS are centrally funded Central Sector projects, their ownership, funding and policy control lying with the Centre.
These were announced as part of the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) for J&K, with Central Public Works Department (CPWD) as executing agency.
The civil works are being carried out by NCC Limited.
Coming up in Awantipora in Pulwama, AIIMS Kashmir remains mired in delays, year after year.
In February 2026, the institute was reported to have “progressed to 70 percent completion”, a figure unchanged from the previous year.
There reportedly are significant cost overruns.
The project has suffered delays due to a combination of factors, including security-related objections that led to revisions in the master plan at the begining of site preparation.
Further delays took place due to additional land acquisition for the site and access-related issues due to absence of any motorable road to the hilltop where it is coming up.
The land for the road was acquired and a macademised road has now connected the site with the main road.
In addition, administrative disruptions, as well as pandemic- and weather-related slowdowns affected construction activity and labour availability.
Some experts believe the site-specific logistical constraints have also contributed to the project missing successive timelines.
AIIMS Awantipora physical progress is stalled at 70 percent.
In January 2026, J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo said that the delays stem purely from “execution snags”.
He said that the project will be complete by the end of 2026.
The first batch of MBBS students was expected to be taken in mid-July, while OPD services were anticipated to start in April 2026.
However, there is no news of any such progress being made.
Kashmir is geographically isolated by the Pir Panjal range and prone to harsh winters.
The absence of a functional AIIMS means denial of access to better healthcare.
The delay in making this Institute operational, progresses from an administrative matter to become a matter of life and health as it turns into prolonged suffering, expensive detours, and delayed treatment for critical conditions including cardiac emergencies, neurological disorders, oncology, and neurosurgery.
For patients requiring super-specialty interventions, there is no other option than to turn to overburdened SKIMS Srinagar or SMHS Hospital.
The load of patients on these facilities often results in chronic delays as per the patients. Kashmir’s far-flung geography amplifies the hardship.
With many districts inaccessible or partially accessible through snow-bound roads in winter, the sheer distance from Srinagar to Delhi for faster interventions is a cruelty.
A senior specialist working in J&K Medical Education said, “AIIMS Jammu has begun fulfilling the promise of decentralised super-specialty care, and advanced medical education while for Kashmir, the promise remains on the horizon.”
He said it was imperative that the 2026 deadline be met to finally bring equitable, timely treatment to people of Kashmir.
