RIMS Imphal to Be Upgraded to AIIMS Status, New Medical College Approved for Senapati District

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, September 1, 2026

In a major development for Manipur’s healthcare and medical education sector, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda has agreed to upgrade the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, to the status of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The decision was communicated during a meeting between Union Minister JP Nadda and Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh in New Delhi on Monday. According to a press release issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, the proposed upgradation is aimed at further strengthening the state’s healthcare infrastructure and expanding access to advanced medical treatment and education.

The Chief Minister expressed his profound gratitude to the Union Health Minister for his support towards strengthening the health sector in Manipur.

In another significant decision, JP Nadda also agreed to approve the proposal for establishing a new medical college in Senapati district of Manipur.

The proposed institution is expected to expand medical education and healthcare facilities beyond the state capital and provide greater access to medical services for people in the hill districts.

The development comes shortly after Union Home Minister Amit Shah agreed, during his meeting with Chief Minister Khemchand Singh on August 26, to lay the foundation stone of the proposed Senapati Medical College during his proposed visit to Manipur in the first week of October this year.

The proposed transformation of RIMS into an AIIMS-level institution would represent a major expansion of Manipur’s medical infrastructure. RIMS, established in 1972, is one of the principal medical institutions serving Manipur and the wider northeastern region. The institute provides undergraduate and postgraduate medical education and operates a large teaching hospital.

The twin decisions—upgrading RIMS and establishing a new medical college in Senapati—are expected to strengthen specialised healthcare, medical education, postgraduate training and research in the state.

The development is particularly significant because RIMS caters not only to patients from Manipur but also to people from other parts of the Northeast. Its official website describes it as an institution of regional importance for medical education and healthcare in the northeastern region.

The announcement is also notable in the context of previous discussions surrounding an AIIMS in Manipur. In March 2025, the Centre had stated in Parliament that there was no proposal under the then-existing phase of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana to establish another AIIMS in Manipur and that there was no provision under the AIIMS Act to simply upgrade an existing institution such as RIMS to AIIMS status.

The latest announcement therefore signals a significant change in the Centre’s position, with the Union Health Minister now agreeing to the proposal to give RIMS the status of AIIMS.

If implemented, the decision could substantially enhance Manipur’s capacity to provide advanced tertiary and specialised healthcare within the state, while also creating greater opportunities for medical education, research and specialist training.

The Manipur government is now expected to work with the Union Health Ministry on the next steps required to translate the announcement into a formal institutional and administrative framework.

The two announcements—AIIMS status for RIMS Imphal and a new medical college in Senapati—could mark a major new phase in the development of Manipur’s healthcare infrastructure.

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