Centre plans to add 75,000 medical seats across country in next 10 years: Shah

Ahmedabad, Oct 4 (PTI) Union Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the Centre is planning to add 75,000 medical seats across the country in the next 10 years to improve health care facilities.

Addressing a gathering in Adalaj village near the city after inaugurating trust-run hospital ‘Hiramani Arogyadham’, Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has adopted a holistic approach for the health care sector.

“PM Modi first started Swachhta Abhiyan, a cleanliness drive to eliminate several diseases. Then he focussed on providing pure drinking water and building toilets in each household to save people from many other diseases. Then he popularised Yoga and introduced the Ayushman Bharat scheme for free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh,” Shah said.

For better implementation of Ayushman Bharat scheme, Modi then focussed on upgrading primary as well as community health centres as well as setting up new medical colleges across the country, the Union Home Minister said.

“Each medical college comes with a hospital having all 14 departments. Now, we have set a target of adding another 75,000 medical seats in the next 10 years,” said Shah.

Creating a web of government-run pharmacy stores selling cheap generic medicines was also part of the holistic approach of the Centre, he added.

The Modi government has launched and implemented 37 different schemes for the benefit of 140 crore citizens, he said.

Shah is on a two-day visit to Gujarat.