Social media is flooded with photos and videos mocking the progress of construction at AIIMS Darbhanga in Bihar. The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Darbhanga will be the second AIIMS facility in Bihar after State capital Patna.

The viral social media posts show only the main gate of AIIMS Darbhanga, which received Centre’s approval in 2020 and the foundation stone for which was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 13, 2024. More than a year later, the project stands with just the main gate, which has become a topic for mockery and sarcasm on social media. “Despite the state fulfilling requirements, the Centre still hasn’t floated the building tender,” allege social media posts.

AIIMS Darbhanga will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,264 crore on 187 acres of land. Despite the foundation stone being laid in November 2024, construction has been slow to gain momentum, with some reports suggesting a potential completion deadline of 2029. Currently, the project is under the responsibility of the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC).

Bihar’s second AIIMS is now slowly taking shape. After about 10 years of discussions, the infrastructure construction has started to appear on the fixed land. The main gate of Darbhanga AIIMS has been made while the boundary walls are under construction.

However, the main gate, which has gone viral on social media has also led to optimism about local residents that maybe now Darbhanga AIIMS will be ready soon and they can avail advanced treatment without having to travel far!

What is AIIMS Darbhanga?

AIIMS Darbhanga is an under-construction public hospital and medical college located in Bihar’s Darbhanga district. This will be the second AIIMS in Bihar after AIIMS Patna, which is being built at a cost of Rs 1264 crores.

The institute aims to provide high-quality medical education and tertiary care services to the region. Once completed, it will have 100 UG (MBBS) seats, 60 Nursing seats, 15-20 Super Specialty Departments, and 750 hospital beds, catering to around 2000 OPD patients per day and 1000 IPD patients per month.

AIIMS Darbhanga will be slightly different from the other AIIMS. The School of Planning and Structure has jointly designed this AIIMS with IIT Delhi and IIT Roorkee. Even the boundary wall is unique — designed like an embankment to serve as a protective structure.

Darbhanga AIIMS will be the most modern AIIMS of the country. Here complex diseases will be researched and better treatments will be available with better infrastructure expected than the AIIMS in state capital Patna.

The facility will feature a state-of-the-art healthcare institute, comprising a fully equipped tertiary care hospital, a medical college, an AYUSH hospital, and accommodation for students and staff, along with various other essential facilities. The project spans about 187 acres of land and will include over 2.25 lakh square meters of construction area.

Not only patients from North Bihar will come here, but patients from neighbouring Nepal and North Eastern states will also come here. The Darbhanga AIIMS will have a daily capacity of 10 thousand patients. The medical college and hospital will also open new opportunities for employment and investment.

What is the deadline for completion of AIIMS Darbhanga?

The Union Cabinet formally approved the establishment of AIIMS Darbhanga in Bihar on September 15, 2020, under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). The foundation stone for AIIMS Darbhanga was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 13, 2024, and construction is expected to be completed in three years.

Given the current progress, the first academic session is unlikely to begin next year. Discussions with Darbhanga Medical College may be explored in 2027 to start initial academic activities until the main campus achieves partial readiness.
Speaking to local media, Dr Madhabananda Kar, executive director of AIIMS Darbhanga has expressed happiness that the construction work has finally started. The director of Darbhanga AIIMS is optimistic that the building will be completed by the end of 2028.

Speaking to the media on the slow pace of AIIMS construction, the executive director said that there was a lot of difficulty in getting the land. When the land was finalised, the monsoon season arrived. Then there were elections in Bihar, which delayed things even more with the entire administration being busy with polls. Despite all these hurdles, work has finally begun.

Why this delay in AIIMS Darbhanga construction?

The Bihar government officially transferred 150.13 acres of land to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) for the construction of AIIMS at Ekmi Shobhan Bypass in Darbhanga district in August 2024. While announced earlier, significant groundwork only began recently following the finalisation of 187.44 acres of land at Ekmi-Shobhan Bypass.

The slow progress of construction of AIIMS Darbhanga has been primarily led by prolonged site selection disputes, land acquisition delays, and administrative hurdles between the state government of Bihar and the central government.

The project faced years of delays due to shifting proposals, with initial sites deemed unsuitable before the finalisation of the Ekmi-Shobhan land. The final site required extensive geotechnical and hydrological investigations. Significant time was lost in the transfer of land, which was only resolved in late 2024.

Budgetary issues also need attention. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared before the Covid-19 pandemic, and cost escalations since then require a fresh review. The state government and district administration are in continuous coordination with AIIMS authorities, informed Dr Madhabananda Kar, executive director of AIIMS Darbhanga.

According to Dr Kar, the state government has several responsibilities, including shifting high-tension power lines, constructing a four-lane approach road and completing landfilling. For removing high-tension wires, PowerGrid infrastructure must be built to ensure an alternative supply, which requires substantial funding.

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