The Union Health Ministry has approved a proposal for renaming the Centre-run Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital's medical institute as Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences after the late prime minister, official sources said.



A formal order in this regard is in the process of being issued, the sources said. "The name of present PGIMER and Dr RML Hospital as 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi' has been approved by the health minister and accordingly the Prime Minister has been requested to inaugurate the newly renamed educational institute on the forthcoming death anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee i.e. on August 16, 2019," stated a July 30 communique sent to the medical superintendent of the hospital.

The institute is currently known as Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). "After holding several meetings, we had sent a proposal to the health minister to name the associated medical institute after our former prime minister. It has been approved now," Dr Rajeev Sood, dean, PGIMER, said. "Also the first batch of 100 MBBS students is starting with foundation course from tomorrow and we are all ready to welcome parents to brings their wards for induction into the course," Dr Sood said.

The hospital recently got the permission to offer MBBS course and begin admissions for 100 seats for the 2019-20 academic year. The departments involved at the initial stage of the course include Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry and Community Medicine. RML Hospital, formerly known as Willingdon Hospital, was established by the British for their staff and had only 54 beds. 

After Independence, its control was shifted to the New Delhi municipal authority. In 1954, its control was again transferred to the central government. It has more than 1000 beds now.