Have created sufficient infrastructure: Health Minister

The health department has undergone sweeping changes in the last few years with the ministry succeeding in creating sufficient infrastructure for future, Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said today.
The Minister for Health and Family Welfare was speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of a new Super Speciality Block and Emergency Block at Safdarjung Hospital here.
Azad said he has tried to cater to the needs of the public by creating maximum infrastructure in the health department which was not sufficient earlier.
Enumerating his ministry's achievements, he said the government has opened 19 super speciality blocks and colleges in six All India Medical Institutes, teacher student ratio for PG courses has been achieved at 1:2 and nursing council rules have been rationalised.

Azad stressed that the "human resources deficiency" in has been met by the ministry during his tenure.
"The cap on intake of MBBS doctors has been increased from 150 to 250. In four years, we have achieved a 75 per cent intake in PG which was not achieved earlier," he said.

The minister also said that he has stopped sanctioning Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) for doctors due to their exodus from India to other countries.
"Nearly 80,000 Indian doctors are working in US, 75,000 in Britain and 50,000 in Gulf countries," he said.
Azad also mentioned the proposal cleared by the Centre last year to set up a National Cancer Institute of AIIMS in Jhajjar.

The step is being considered as a landmark in the area of cancer research in the country and shall lessen the deficit of tertiary cancer care in the northern region.
He also spoke about government's achievement of eradicating polio during his tenure.
Last month, India said it was free from cases of polio for the third straight year.
"In 2009, polio was widespread in India. Now it has reached to zero in number," Azad said, adding, by 2015, the government will succeed in reducing child mortality rate in the country.
The Super Speciality block in Safdarjung hospital will have 807 beds including ICU and paid private ward block with 24 beds for Heart Command Centre.

The Emergency block will have 500 beds and will be the biggest emergency care centre in the country.
"When I leave this ministry, I will be satisfied. We have been able to create very good infrastructure," Azad said.