The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Deoghar, was established under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), Phase VI, by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The foundation stone of the institute was laid on 25 May 2019 by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, during his visit to Jharkhand. The Department of Biochemistry was established in the same year with the commissioning of the preclinical and paraclinical departments. Since its inception, the department has remained committed to developing state-of-the-art facilities for medical education, patient care, and biomedical research while addressing the healthcare needs of the people of Jharkhand and neighbouring regions.
The Department of Biochemistry has witnessed steady growth in academic activities, laboratory services, and research since its establishment. Currently, the department has four postgraduate (MD Biochemistry) students, 125 MBBS students, 60 B.Sc. Nursing students, and 10 B.Sc. Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) students, with the second batch of the B.Sc. MLT programme currently in progress. The department also contributes to the teaching of students enrolled in the integrated Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) and Master of Public Health (MPH) programmes.
The department is dedicated to nurturing competent Indian Medical Graduates through Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME). Teaching is delivered using a combination of lectures, practical demonstrations, tutorials, small-group discussions, problem-based learning (PBL), self-directed learning (SDL), seminars, integrated teaching, and vertical and horizontal integration. Students are also actively encouraged to participate in research through national scholarship programmes, the ICMR Short-Term Studentship (STS), CSIR projects, Rashtriya Swasthya Vigyan Karyakram (RSKV), and scientific conferences.
Patient care remains one of the foremost priorities of the department. The Department of Biochemistry provides comprehensive 24×7 Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory services for inpatient, outpatient, and emergency care, ensuring timely and reliable laboratory diagnostics. Equipped with automated analysers and stringent quality assurance practices, the department strives to provide accurate, efficient, and evidence-based diagnostic support for clinicians. In keeping with the vision of AIIMS under PMSSY, the department is committed to improving access to affordable, high-quality tertiary healthcare for both tribal and non-tribal populations of Jharkhand and the surrounding regions.
The department possesses well-established undergraduate and postgraduate teaching laboratories alongside advanced research infrastructure, including Molecular Biology and Cell Culture Laboratories. Specialized diagnostic facilities for the screening of Hemoglobinopathies and Immunology are available, strengthening both patient care and translational research. The department actively promotes interdisciplinary collaborations across various clinical and basic science specialties, reflecting the central role of biochemistry in modern medicine.
Research forms one of
the core pillars of the department. Faculty members are actively engaged in
basic, translational, and clinical research, with proposals regularly submitted
to national and international funding agencies. Ongoing research interests
include molecular biology, immunology, proteomics, metabolomics, cell biology,
molecular genetics, hemoglobinopathies, inherited metabolic disorders,
biomarker discovery, signalling pathways, metal toxicity studies, fluorosis,
endemic disease surveillance, and inborn errors of metabolism. The department
is committed to employing advanced technologies such as polymerase chain
reaction (PCR), cell culture techniques, molecular diagnostics, and
bioinformatics while fostering collaborations with leading academic and
research institutions in India and abroad.
The Department of Biochemistry envisions establishing advanced Proteomics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics facilities to facilitate early detection and comprehensive evaluation of genetic, metabolic, and endemic diseases prevalent in the region. Future initiatives include expanding molecular diagnostic capabilities, genomic sequencing, disease mapping, linkage and population-based genetic studies, strengthening translational research, and establishing collaborations with national and international universities, research institutes, and medical schools. The department also aims to secure competitive research grants from governmental agencies, international funding organizations, and non-governmental organizations to further strengthen its academic and research excellence.
Through its unwavering commitment to excellence in education, patient care, diagnostics, innovation, and research, the Department of Biochemistry at AIIMS Deoghar continues to evolve as a centre of excellence dedicated to improving healthcare outcomes and advancing biomedical science for the benefit of society.
