Union minister Mandaviya praises AP's efforts in health care

Vijayawada: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has said the central government is following a comprehensive policy for development of the country's health sector so as to provide quality medical services to the poor and even the inhabitants of remote areas.
 
The minister laid the foundation for a biosafety level-3 laboratory planned at a cost of '30 crore and inaugurated the newly built IPHL Labs erected at a cost of '1.25 crore in the old GGH here on Friday. State health minister Vidal Rajani, MPs Kesnineni Srinivas and BV Satyavathy, MLA Malladi Vishnu, Special CS Krishnababu, Mayor Bhagyalakshmi and others were present.
 
Mansukh Mandaviya praised the performance of the health department in AP and promised the Centre’s full cooperation to the state in this sector. “It is commendable that the AP government is paying special attention to the health sector,” he said, and congratulated chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and health minister Rajani.
 
He said crores of people were getting health coverage through the Ayushman Bharat scheme introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “There are arrangements for basic tests for both minor and major health problems. Ten types of tests are available at these health centres. If there were 350 medical colleges in 67 years, the number reached 707 in nine years of the BJP government and the number of MBBS seats rose from 54,000  to 1.07 lakh,” he said.
 
Health minister Vidadala Rajani said a total of 14 critical care blocks are being made available across AP at a cost of '350.25 crore. Some 13 integrated public health laboratories are being developed at a cost of '16.25 crore. The state government is thankful for the cooperation it got from the central government in making state-of-the-art facilities available in the state’s medical field, she said.
 
Rajani said BASL-3 labs will help the state face the challenges in the health sector. Some 10,032 Village Ayushman Health Mandirs in AP are playing a vital role in health care. MP Kesineni Srinivas, vice chairman of the state planning board, Malladi Vishnu and others were present.