The health survey and development committee ,chaired by Sir Joseph Bhore, an Indian Civil Servant ,had in 1946 already recommended the establishment of a national medical centre which would concentrate on meeting the need for highly qualified manpower to look after the nation's expanding health care activities . A generous grant from New Zealand under the Colombo Plan made it possible to lay the foundation stone of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in 1952.The AIIMS was finally created in 1956,as an autonomous institution through an Act of Parliament ,to serve as a nucleus for nurturing excellence in all aspect of health care.