AIIMS Delhi wins top cleanliness award, bags Rs 3 crore

New Delhi: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Friday bagged the first prize from the Centre for maintaining cleanliness within the institute premises and showing dedication towards the mission of the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, along with Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, presented the Kayakalp Awards to winners during an event held at the India Habitat Centre here. AIIMS was awarded the first prize of Rs 3 crore. The Health Ministry had prepared a list of central government institutions, district and private hospitals and community health centres for their work in maintaining high standards of sanitation and hygiene in public health facilities and awarded these hospitals under the 'Kayakalp Awards Scheme'.

"Kayakalp award has made you inspiration towards 'swachhta' in your community and region. Now you should become role models for other health facilities and inspire and lead your community and districts towards achieving the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene," Harsh Vardhan said while urging the winners during the national felicitation ceremony of Kayakalp awardees (2018-19) for their work in maintaining high standards of sanitation and hygiene. Harsh Vardhan commended the awardees and said cleanliness is no more a one-time activity but is integrated into our day-to-day practices and should become a habit.

Kayakalp has played a pivotal role in reinstating and reconfirming the trust and confidence of the community in public health facilities, he said. He added that the zest and zeal shown by the hospitals and their collective efforts in improving cleanliness, hygiene and infection-control practices should continue unabated. "It is now your duty to take upon the leadership role and mentor and monitor the Ayushman Bharat-Health & Wellness Centers (AB-HWCs) of your districts, states and UTs," he added. The Union health minister further stated that health and hygiene are the top priorities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Taking a leaf from the life of Mahatma Gandhi, our prime minister has inspired, implemented and monitored the 'Swachh Bharat Movement'.

"Dreaming of rolling out such an ambitious public health movement in such a vast country in itself is monumental," he said, adding that concerted efforts should be made to contribute to the PM's vision of a Clean India. Addressing the event, Ashwini Kumar Choubey said, "Our efforts towards cleanliness and hygiene, in any shape and form, are like an offering, a 'swachhaanjli' to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, as the nation celebrates his 150th birth anniversary." The Union ministers also released the Kayakalp coffee table book documenting the success stories of the award-winning health facilities. Under the Central Government Hospitals A category, the first prize of Rs 3 crore was given to the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.

JIPMER, Puducherry, was judged the runner-up in this category and awarded Rs 1.5 crore. The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, and the Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi, won the Commendation Award of Rs 50 lakh each. In the Group B category, the winner was VBCH, Silvassa, which bagged Rs 2 crore, with AIIMS Bhubaneswar winning Rs 1 crore as runner-up. NEIGRIHMS, Shillong, LGBRIMH, Tezpur, and AIIMS, Bhopal, each won Rs 50 lakhs as Commendation Awards. Harsh Vardhan also felicitated the district hospitals, PHCs and CHCs, wherein 29 hospitals won the first prize, 14 were awarded the second prize and the third prize was won by 2 hospitals.

The Kayakalp Award was instituted as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on May 15, 2015, as a national initiative to recognise and felicitate public health facilities that demonstrate high levels of cleanliness, hygiene and infection-control measures on promoting cleanliness in public spaces.