Dr Vardhan inaugurates Geriatric OPD, 3T MRI Facility at Safdarjung Hospital

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on July 27, 2019, inaugurated a host of facilities that include Geriatric Sunday OPD, 3T MRI Facility, Biplane Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory and ESWL Lab at Safdarjung Hospital here.

During the visit, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that under the inspirational PM Narendra Modi, health has been positioned as one of the top agenda of the Government and today’s development reflects that the Prime Minister is committed to fundamentally transforming the country and give quality health services to the people.

“Under the leadership of our Prime Minister we are aggressively moving towards setting up state-of-the-art health facilities with the best equipment, techniques and buildings. These are comparable to the very best in the country and the world,” he said. As we move towards the vision of the Prime Minister of a New India by 2022, health shall be one of the key determinants and components of our advanced country, he stated.

Interacting with the staff, para-medics, and doctors at the Emergency Block, Dr Vardhan stated that the aim of everyone in the hospital should be to see that no patient is turned back or referred to any other emergency facility. “Let us aspire to build our capacities and strength to such level that we are able to attend to each emergency patient that needs our care,” he stated. He took a round of various wards, labs, OTs, Cath Labs, geriatric and pediatric ICUs, and interacted with the patients and their caregivers. He also reviewed the processes of registration of patients, referral and other services. He also visited the new Super Specialty Block and planted a sapling.

Dr Vardhan also visited the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi  Kendra on the hospital premises. He was told that medicine, which cost as much as Rs 500-600 in the market, are sold at very economical rates of as low as Rs 105 at the Kendra. “The government is committed to ensuring that the out-of-pocket expenditure on medicine, which form a significant part of healthcare cost, is considerably reduced through such pharmacy centres,” he stated.

He further stated that one of the priorities of the government is to expand quality tertiary health care facilities in all parts of the country. With the announcement of new AIIMS, the total number of AIIMS will go up to 22. Further, super specialty blocks along with MCH wings are being set up at many district hospitals and medical college across the country. Apart from the already planned 82, additional 75 district hospitals are being upgraded to medical colleges across the country by 2022, according to a PIB release.

The Union Health Minister further stated that the budget for the Health Ministry showed an appreciable increase of more than 19%in the total outlay in the General Budget this year. This reflects the importance accorded to the health sector in the country, he added.

The Geriatric OPD for the elderly will be open every Sunday starting from July 28, 2019, at the Main OPD Complex in the  Medicine, General Surgery, ENT, Ophthalmology, and Orthopaedics specialities . The OPD timings will be from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and registration timings will be 9 am to 11.30 am.