29th January 2003 - @sushmaswaraj became Union Health Minister. I was then a Member of Parliament. She was always concerned about the overburdened AIIMS. Thousands of people were sleeping on the roadside because they had a relative admitted in the aiims. /1 https://twitter.com/AskAnshul/status/1305153746914086913

AIIMS is built over 25 acres of land. It could not be expanded any further. She analysed the number of patients from each state. Most patients were from the Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. None of these was a BJP ruled state./2

She said, “since people cannot reach aiims, I will make sure that aiims reaches people.“ I said ‘where is the money ? How will you have it included in the budget ?‘ She said ‘Yes, that is a problem. But in this one year, I am determind to set up six aiims in the country.’ /3

She set apart an “aiims hour”. During that hour, she will deal with only one subject every day ‘Six aiims in the country.’ She told the Chief Ministers, “you give me 100 acres of land. I will give you aiims. Remember, it is not a branch of aiims. It is like AIIMS in New Delhi. /4

“Why 100 acres ?” was the usual question. She said, “I want to make an air strip so that an air ambulance may land in the aiims campus itself.” How will you get the faculty ? I am setting up aiims in towns with all facilities. The faculty will come. /5

She persuaded Shri Jaswant Singh, then Finance Minister to give her Rs.2,000/- Crores. She provided Rs.300 Crs for each aiims. Then there is a whisper of mid-term elections. She is running against time, getting land from states and having the stay orders vacated. /6

People asked her, ‘how will you do this ?’ Her reply was , “Wo mere Krishna karenge.” At times she would say, “Problems find their own solutions.”/7

One day, BJP announces mid term elections. Lok Sabha is dissolved. The model code of conduct is in operation. But she is not bothered. All six aiims have been set up, the land is procured, money is provided, the foundation has been laid.

All Six aiims are now functioning./8