In a major development, the Centre, for the first time, has initiated a draft proposal for setting up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-like institute of national importance for animal health, education and research in Delhi to be called the All India Institute of Veterinary Sciences (AIIVS).
The institute will also have a 200 to 500 seater ultra-modern super specialty hospital attached to it for providing outpatient and in-patient medical facilities to animals.
According to the draft proposal, the premier institute would also be equipped with advanced diagnostic and teaching facilities for under-graduate veterinarians.
It would have innovation and research facilities for post-graduate and Phd scholars under one single roof.
Land for the institute is being searched for around the National Capital Region.
Just like AIIMS, AIIVS would also be an apex veterinary referral hospital in India.
The hospital will have departments for the treatment of companion animals, farm animals, equines, wildlife and exotic pets.
The hospital will have hi-tech departments in surgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, anesthesia, soft-tissue culture, neuter-surgery, oncology and cardiology, among others.
AIIVS will also act as a think-tank for policy research and advocacy.
It would be a centre of excellence for animal pandemic preparedness with the 'One Health Approach' of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Sources said the draft proposal for the AIIVS has been mooted by the Veterinary Council of India (VCI).
It would now be placed for formal approval before the Union Cabinet, after which its total cost, funding and other requirements would be formalised.
The VCI is a statutory body established under the Indian Veterinary Council Act 1984.
It functions under the supervision of the ministry of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries.
If approved, sources said the hospital may start functioning in the next three-four years, though in phases.
Once the AIIVS starts functioning, the concept could be expanded to other parts of the country, similar to AIIMS, sources said.
The draft proposal said the Union minister for animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries will be the ex-officio president of the governing board of AIIVS, while the secretary in the ministry will be the secretary of the board.
In AIIMS, the Union health minister is ex-officio head of the governing board.
The draft proposal also said that the governing board will comprise Union animal husbandry commissioner, president of the VCI and five vice-chairmen of veterinary universities and director of the national institutes.
AIIVS will add to the existing veterinary research efforts and teaching targets of the state veterinary universities and national-level institutes such as the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) and National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal.
"The institute is envisaged to meet the requirements of preventive, promotive and curative primary as well as secondary and tertiary animal health issues.
"It will produce top-notch veterinary practitioners and teachers for the country," the draft said.
In the first phase, around 200 students will be admitted to the premier institute on the basis of NEET and NTA merit.
AIIVS will have four major buildings within its premises.
The first would be the super specialty hospital, followed by the academic block.
Then, there would be the research block and finally the administrative and supportive facility.
The research block will house various centres for advanced studies like artificial intelligence and machine learning in veterinary medicine and stem cell therapy, among others.
Some sources said work on the concept of AIIVS came into picture when after several attempts, veterinary science and education couldn't be separated from agriculture research despite creation of a separate ministry of animal husbandry and dairying.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
