Implementing UPA government's flagship National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in "letter and spirit", getting Cabinet approval for the National Urban Health Mission(NUHM) and putting on fast-track the construction of six new AIIMS are some of the priorities of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who assumed charge here today.

Asserting that rural health in India had always been a neglected sector, Azad said, "Health earlier did not get as much importance, especially in the rural areas. For them (rural people) healthcare was non-existent. The NRHM has benefitted them immensely and would be a priority area."

The Minister said he would review the implementation of the programme every six months and visit state capitals and hold meetings with officials to implement the programmes.

Another priority area would be implementation of the urban health mission which was conceived in the last term of the UPA government.

"My first priority would be to get cabinet approval for it and launch it as soon as possible," he added.

Over the last some years, urban India has faced an upsurge in population, especially migrants, and this has put pressure on the civic and health infrastructure, he said.

This programme will benefit such people, he added. Azad said the government would also focus on upgradation of existing medical colleges to the level of AIIMS and speeding up work in the six new AIIMS which are coming up.

The minister said the focus would also be on introduction of more vaccines for new diseases like bird flu.

"As a developing nation, which has a huge population and size, we should not depend on countries like the United States for we have to be proactive as we will be worst hit if such kind of diseases strike us," he said.

On his predecessor Anbumani Ramadoss' preoccupation with AIIMS, Azad said, "For me individuals do not matter. I would focus only on institutions. Individuals would come and go, you should only focus on making institutions stronger."

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