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Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the launch of various healthcare projects, at AIIMS, in New Delhi on Friday, June 29, 2018. Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare J P Nadda, Ministers of State for Health & Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Anupriya Patel are also seen. (PIB Photo via PTI)[/caption]
New Delhi, June 29 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said his government is transforming the country’s health infrastructure that is fit for “New India”.
Speaking after inaugurating five projects worth Rs 1,700 crore at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung Hospital, Modi said: The government is building a suitable health infrastructure across the country for a New India that will have quality and adequate hospitals, more beds, better facilities and best doctors.”
“Thirteen new AIIMS have been announced in the last four year, of which work has started on eight of them. Apart from this, construction of super-specialty hospitals at 15 medical colleges across the country is underway,” he said.
Earlier, Modi laid the foundation stone for National Centre for Ageing, and inaugurated the underground tunnel between AIIMS and Trauma Centre and Power Grid Vishram Sadan at AIIMS. He also inaugurated new emergency and super-specialty blocks at Safdarjung Hospital.
“Facilities at Safdarjung Hospital have been made more advanced with an investment of over INR 1,300 crore. A super-specialty block and an emergency block have been dedicated to the nation. Safdarjung Hospital has become the country’s biggest emergency care hospital with 500-bed capacity just for medical emergency,” he said.
The National Centre for Ageing will provide state of art clinical care to the elderly population and play a key role in guiding research in geriatric medicine and related specialties. The Centre will provide multi-specialty healthcare, will have 200 general ward beds and will be developed at a cost of INR 330 crore by February 2020.
The 997-meter tunnel, to be built at a cost of INR 44 crore to connect AIIMS and Jai Prakash Narayan Apex (JPNA) Trauma Centre, will significantly reduce the commute time.
The Power Grid Vishram Sadan, built at a cost of INR 32.67 crore, has a 300-bedded night shelter facility meant for the patients and their relatives visiting AIIMS and Trauma Centre at a nominal cost. The 11-floor facility with a helipad on the roof for heli-ambulances is funded by the state-run Power Grid Corporation.