“Before 2014, an AIIMS in Gorakhpur was just a dream. But today, it is a proud reality that caters to the health needs of over five crore people directly and nearly seven crore indirectly,” Adityanath said.

Adityanath, a five-time Gorakhpur MP between 1998 and 2017, recalled that in the decades preceding the establishment of AIIMS, eastern Uttar Pradesh suffered severe educational and healthcare backwardness. He particularly cited the encephalitis epidemic that claimed over 50,000 lives, mostly children, in 40 years.

He said that efforts to eradicate the disease began after 2014 with Gorakhpur being given two key health institutions — a regional virology centre at BRD Medical College and AIIMS.

Adityanath said he had personally witnessed the journey of AIIMS Gorakhpur from its foundation stone, laid by PM Modi in July 2016, to its inauguration in September 2021.

“When the foundation was laid, there wasn’t even land earmarked. But in 2017, after I became the Chief Minister, we facilitated the required land, and the project took off,” he said.

He noted that the first batch of AIIMS Gorakhpur students arrived in 2019, and he had personally met them.

“This institute today stands as a symbol of new aspirations for eastern Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring regions,” he added.

The CM also welcomed President Murmu on her first Gorakhpur visit and highlighted that this historical and spiritually rich land is located close to key pilgrimage centres of Buddhism, Jainism and Sanatan tradition.

“Gorakhpur is surrounded by key pilgrimage sites like Kushinagar, Lumbini, and Sant Kabir Nagar, and is close to Ayodhya and Varanasi. Despite this, the region remained neglected for decades. Today, under the double-engine government led by PM Modi, it is emerging as a hub of education and healthcare,” he said. PTI KIS AMJ AMJ