PM Modi launches projects worth Rs 12,850 cr, extends Ayushman Bharat for over 70 years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched development projects worth nearly Rs 12,850 crore and extended his government's flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat, to all those aged 70 and above . The major initiative in the healthcare sector was unveiled on the occasion of the ninth Ayurveda Day and the birth anniversary of Dhanvantari, the Hindu god of medicine.

Modi also inaugurated phase II of the first All India Institute of Ayurveda in the national capital, which includes a Panchakarma hospital, an Ayurvedic pharmacy for manufacturing medicines, a sports medicine unit, a central library, an incubation center for IT and startups and a 500-seat auditorium among others.

In an innovative use of drone technology to improve service delivery and make healthcare more accessible, Modi launched drone services in 11 tertiary healthcare facilities.
These are AIIMS-Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, AIIMS-Bibinagar in Telangana, AIIMS-Guwahati in Assam, AIIMS-Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, AIIMS-Jodhpur in Rajasthan, AIIMS-Patna in Bihar, AIIMS-Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, AIIMS-Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, AIIMS-Raipur in Chhattisgarh, AIIMS-Mangalagiri in 'Andhra Pradesh and RIMS-Imphal in Manipur.

The Prime Minister also launched a helicopter emergency medical service from AIIMS Rishikesh, which will help provide timely medical care.

Modi launched a U-WIN portal which aims to benefit pregnant women and infants by fully digitalizing the vaccination process. It will ensure timely delivery of life-saving vaccines to pregnant women and children (birth to 16 years) against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases. In addition, the Prime Minister launched a portal intended for paramedical and health professionals and institutes. It will serve as a centralized database of existing health professionals and institutes.

Modi also inaugurated three medical colleges at Mandsaur, Neemuch and Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, along with expansions of facilities and services at various AIIMS – Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, Kalyani in West Bengal, Patna in Bihar, Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, Guwahati in Assam and New Delhi, which also include a Jan Aushadhi Kendra.

Modi also inaugurated a super specialty block at the Government Medical College in Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh and an ICU block in Bargarh, Odisha.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stones of five nursing colleges in Shivpuri, Ratlam, Khandwa, Rajgarh and Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, 21 ICU blocks in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan under the direction of Ayushman India Health infrastructure mission, and several facilities and service expansions at AIIMS in New Delhi and Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh.

Among other projects, Modi inaugurated an ESIC hospital in Indore in Madhya Pradesh and laid the foundation stone for such hospitals in Faridabad in Haryana, Bommasandra and Narasapur in Karnataka, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and Achutapuram in Andhra Pradesh.

These projects are expected to provide healthcare benefits to around 55 lakh ESI beneficiaries.

Other projects whose foundation stones have been laid include a central research institute for yoga and naturopathy at Khordha in Odisha and Raipur in Chhattisgarh, centers of excellence at NIPER-Ahmedabad for medical devices, NIPER- Hyderabad for bulk medicines, NIPER-Guwahati for plant protection products. and NIPER-Mohali for the discovery and development of antibacterial and antiviral drugs.

In a major boost to the Make in India initiative in the healthcare sector, the Prime Minister also inaugurated five projects under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for medical devices and bulk medicines at Vapi in Gujarat, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kakinada in Andhra. Pradesh and Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh.

These units will manufacture high-end medical devices, such as body implants and intensive care equipment, as well as major wholesale drugs.