All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh (AIIMS Rishikesh) is an autonomous public medical university, tertiary care healthcare center, and Institute of National Importance (INI). Established in 2012 under Phase-I of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, the institute was created to correct regional imbalances in quality tertiary healthcare and to achieve self-sufficiency in graduate, postgraduate, and super-specialty medical education in northern India.
Spanning a scenic 102-acre campus on the banks of the Ganges River in Rishikesh, AIIMS Rishikesh serves as a vital healthcare hub for Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and adjacent northern regions. The institution integrates comprehensive undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, advanced multi-specialty clinical care, diagnostic excellence, cutting-edge biomedical research, and community health interventions under the AIIMS Act, 1956.
Institutional Overview & Key Facts
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Official Name | All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh |
| Short Name | AIIMS Rishikesh |
| Year of Establishment | 2012 |
| Statutory Status | Institute of National Importance (INI) |
| Governing Body | Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India |
| Campus Area | 102 Acres |
| Location | Virbhadra Road, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India - 249203 |
| Primary Entrance Exams | NEET-UG (MBBS), INI-CET (MD/MS/DM/M.Ch), AIIMS Nursing & Paramedical Exams |
| Official Website | aiimsrishikesh.edu.in |
History, Vision, and Mission
The establishment of AIIMS Rishikesh was sanctioned to address severe shortages of tertiary care facilities and skilled medical professionals in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand and neighboring regions. Prior to its establishment, patients requiring complex super-specialty medical interventions had to travel to metropolitan healthcare centers in New Delhi or Chandigarh.
The institute operates under a multi-pronged mission:
- Clinical Excellence: Providing advanced, evidence-based, and affordable diagnostic, surgical, and therapeutic care across basic, clinical, and super-specialty medical disciplines.
- Educational Innovation: Developing dynamic medical curricula incorporating Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME), advanced clinical skill simulation, and problem-based learning.
- Scientific Research: Promoting basic, clinical, translational, and epidemiological biomedical research targeting regional health burdens such as high-altitude medicine, trauma care, vector-borne diseases, and maternal-child health metrics.
- Community & Disaster Care: Strengthening rural health infrastructure through primary health centers, specialized disaster management protocols, health awareness camps, and immunization drives.
Academic Programs & Educational Framework
AIIMS Rishikesh offers a broad spectrum of medical, surgical, nursing, super-specialty, and allied health courses across undergraduate, postgraduate, postdoctoral, and doctoral levels.
1. Undergraduate Medical Program (MBBS)
The Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree program spans 5.5 years, which includes 4.5 years of intensive academic study divided into 9 semesters, followed by a mandatory 1-year Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI).
- Annual Intake: 125 seats (allocated via NEET-UG merit ranks).
- Curriculum Delivery: Combines classroom lectures, laboratory practicals, clinical ward postings, skill lab sessions, high-altitude clinical exposure, and community family-adoption programs.
- Pre-Clinical Phase (Semesters 1-2): Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry.
- Para-Clinical Phase (Semesters 3-5): Pathology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, and Community Medicine.
- Clinical Phase (Semesters 6-9): General Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology (ENT), Dermatology, Psychiatry, Anesthesiology, and Radio-Diagnosis.
- CRMI Internship Phase: Hands-on operational rotation through emergency departments, disaster management modules, rural training health centers, intensive care units, and surgical suites.
2. Postgraduate Medical Programs (MD / MS)
Postgraduate residency courses (Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery) span 3 years. Residents receive rigorous clinical training, participate in outpatient and inpatient management, perform supervised surgical procedures, and complete mandatory scientific thesis dissertations.
- Master of Surgery (MS): General Surgery, Orthopedics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology (ENT), and Anatomy.
- Doctor of Medicine (MD): General Medicine, Pediatrics, Radio-Diagnosis, Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Pathology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Community & Family Medicine, Forensic Medicine, Transfusion Medicine, and Psychiatry.
3. Super-Specialty Programs (DM / M.Ch)
Advanced 3-year sub-specialty postdoctoral residency programs designed to train expert surgical and medical specialists:
- Doctorate of Medicine (DM): Cardiology, Neurology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, Clinical Hematology, and Medical Oncology.
- Master of Chirurgiae (M.Ch): Neurosurgery, Urology, Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery (CTVS), Pediatric Surgery, Surgical Gastroenterology, Trauma Surgery, and Surgical Oncology.
4. Nursing & Paramedical Programs
- B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing: 4-year undergraduate degree program with rigorous clinical postings in specialized hospital wards and ICUs.
- M.Sc. Nursing: 2-year postgraduate specialization across Medical-Surgical Nursing, Pediatric Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, and Obstetrics & Gynecological Nursing.
- Paramedical Courses: Bachelor degrees in Medical Laboratory Technology (BMLT), Operation Theatre Technology (OTT), Medical Radiography & Imaging Technology (MRIT), and Anesthesia Technology.
- Doctoral Programs (Ph.D.): Available across basic, clinical, and interdisciplinary health science departments.
Admissions, Eligibility & Selection Criteria
| Course Name | Eligibility Criteria | Admission Mechanism |
|---|---|---|
| MBBS | 10+2 / Higher Secondary pass with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English (minimum 50% aggregate for General/EWS; 40% for SC/ST/OBC). Minimum age of 17 years at admission. | National Merit Rank in **NEET-UG** followed by Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) online counseling. |
| MD / MS | Recognized MBBS degree from an NMC-accredited medical college, completion of 1-year compulsory internship, and valid national/state medical council registration. | Merit rank in **INI-CET** conducted centrally by AIIMS New Delhi. |
| DM / M.Ch | Recognized MD/MS or DNB degree in the relevant basic medical/surgical discipline. | Merit rank in **INI-SS** (Institute of National Importance Super Specialty Test). |
| B.Sc. (Hons) Nursing | 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English with minimum 55% aggregate (General/OBC/EWS). Female candidates only. | Merit rank in **AIIMS B.Sc. Nursing Entrance Examination**. |
Hospital Infrastructure & Clinical Capabilities
The AIIMS Rishikesh hospital complex is a 960+ bedded super-specialty tertiary care medical facility equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic, emergency, and surgical care capabilities serving thousands of patients daily.
Outpatient Department (OPD) Services
The hospital operates daily OPD clinics across diverse basic and super-specialty departments, including:
- General Medicine, Endocrinology, Rheumatology, and Geriatric Medicine
- General Surgery, Surgical Oncology, Laparoscopic Surgery, and Burns/Plastic Surgery
- Pediatric Care, Pediatric Surgery, and Neonatal Care Clinics
- Obstetrics, Antenatal Care, High-Risk Pregnancy, and Infertility Clinics
- Orthopedics, Joint Replacement, Spine Surgery, and Sports Injury Clinics
- Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology
- Psychiatry, De-addiction Services, and Behavioral Sciences
- Cardiology, Neurology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, Urology, and Pulmonary Medicine
Inpatient & Intensive Care Infrastructure
The hospital features advanced modular inpatient wards, private rooms, high dependency units (HDU), and specialized ICUs equipped with mechanical ventilators, continuous dialysis, and advanced hemodynamic monitoring setups:
- Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)
- Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU)
- Neonatal ICU (NICU Level-III) & Pediatric ICU (PICU)
- Coronary Care Unit (CCU) & Neuro ICU
- Modular Operation Theater (OT) Complex featuring 25+ air-conditioned OTs equipped with laminar airflow systems, HEPA filters, laparoscopic suites, robotic surgical systems, and advanced neuro-navigation equipment.
Advanced Diagnostics & Support Infrastructure
- Radiology & Imaging: Equipped with 3T High-Field MRI, 128-Slice CT Scanners, Digital Mammography, Color Doppler Ultrasonography, Digital X-Ray units, SPECT-CT, and Interventional Radiology suites.
- Central Laboratory Complex: Fully automated biochemistry analyzers, clinical pathology suites, histopathology and cytopathology units, molecular diagnostic facilities (PCR/RT-PCR), and advanced microbiology culture units.
- Blood Centre & Apheresis Unit: 24/7 blood bank offering component separation (packed red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, single-donor platelets), apheresis facilities, and strict serological screening.
- Trauma & Disaster Center: Advanced Level-1 Emergency and Trauma Center with dedicated helipad facilities for air ambulance services, triage beds, minor and major emergency OTs, and red-zone resuscitation bays.
Campus Life & Student Amenities
The 102-acre campus provides a modern, self-contained eco-friendly environment with academic, residential, and recreational facilities designed to support holistic student growth.
- Hostel Facilities: Dedicated multi-story hostels for undergraduate students, postgraduate residents, nursing trainees, and research scholars. Features include fully furnished rooms, high-speed Wi-Fi/LAN, 24/7 security with CCTV surveillance, continuous power backup, and indoor recreational spaces.
- Central Library: Air-conditioned central library housing extensive print collections of national and international medical textbooks, reference materials, journals, and a modern e-library section providing access to digital medical databases (PubMed, Scopus, ClinicalKey, UpToDate).
- Lecture Theaters & Skill Lab: Smart lecture halls equipped with state-of-the-art interactive audio-visual systems, lecture capture technology, and a dedicated Advanced Clinical Skill & Simulation Center.
- Sports & Recreation: Outdoor sports fields for cricket and football, basketball and volleyball courts, badminton halls, indoor game setups, and fully equipped gymnasium facilities.
- Mess & Dining: Multiple hygienic mess facilities and cafeterias managed with strict nutrition and food safety standards.
Research, Community Outreach & Innovations
Research is a fundamental pillar of AIIMS Rishikesh, supported by internal institutional grants and external funding agencies such as ICMR, DST, DBT, WHO, and AYUSH.
- High-Altitude & Disaster Medicine Research: Specialized clinical research initiatives focusing on high-altitude medical physiological adaptations, emergency medical response protocols, and disaster management strategies for mountainous terrains.
- Rural and Urban Health Training Centers: Managed by the Department of Community and Family Medicine to deliver primary healthcare, maternal and child healthcare, vaccination programs, and health literacy to surrounding rural and tribal communities.
- Telemedicine & e-Sanjeevani: Digital health network connecting AIIMS Rishikesh with peripheral district hospitals and community health centers across Uttarakhand for remote tele-consultations.