Raipur: Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan on Wednesday held up AIIMS Raipur as a symbol of how far Chhattisgarh has come from the fear of Left-Wing Extremism, telling graduating doctors at the institute’s third convocation that they now carry responsibility for the health and trust of the people of India.
Addressing the gathering, he said a convocation was not just a moment of celebration but also one of responsibility. “Today, you receive your degrees and tomorrow, you will be entrusted with something far more valuable — the health, trust and lives of the people of Bharat,” he said.
Set up in 2012 to address regional gaps in healthcare, medical education and research in central India, AIIMS Raipur has grown in a short span into a major tertiary-care institution serving Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states, including rural and tribal communities, Radhakrishnan said. Its growth, he added, reflects the wider transformation under way in Chhattisgarh.
From Naxal violence to development
Chhattisgarh’s difficult geography, poor connectivity and years of Left-Wing Extremism had long held back development in parts of the state, Radhakrishnan said. In many remote and tribal areas, fear and violence disrupted the building of roads, schools and hospitals, leaving communities without easy access to basic services.
That, he said, has now changed. He credited the shift to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, saying decades of Naxal violence have ended and areas once associated with conflict are now being identified with roads, schools, hospitals, connectivity, investment and opportunity.
“This transformation is a powerful example of the difference that strong political will, firm security policy and development-oriented governance can make,” he said.
Radhakrishnan called AIIMS Raipur one of the clearest symbols of the new Chhattisgarh — a state moving from an era of fear and deprivation towards one of peace, progress and possibility.
Kidney and heart transplant milestones
He pointed to the institute’s advances in transplant medicine, including Chhattisgarh’s first swap kidney transplant, a success rate of more than 95 per cent in kidney transplantation, renal and corneal transplants, and ear implants. Approval for a heart-transplant programme, he said, marks another milestone for the institute.
More women earning degrees
Radhakrishnan said Viksit Bharat, the vision of a developed India, can only be achieved when every state, district and village develops, with access to higher education at its core. He pointed to a rise in women’s participation in higher education over the past 12 years: female enrolment climbed from 1.57 crore in 2014-15 to 2.24 crore in 2023-24, a 42.2 per cent increase.
At Wednesday’s convocation, 376 women and 313 men received their degrees.
Radhakrishnan urged the graduating doctors to say a firm “no to drugs” and to help build an India where technology reaches the last citizen and every young person can aspire to a better future. “May your knowledge heal, your research innovate and your service inspire,” he said.
He wished AIIMS Raipur continued success in clinical care, scientific research, public health and compassionate service, and said he hoped Chhattisgarh’s transformation would become an important chapter in the country’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047. Radhakrishnan also conferred gold medals and certificates on meritorious students.
Chhattisgarh Governor Ramen Deka, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers Anupriya Patel, state Health and Medical Education Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, Raipur MP Brijmohan Agrawal, AIIMS Raipur president Professor Sanjeev Handa and executive director, retired Lieutenant General Ashok Jindal, attended the ceremony.