Nadda lays foundation of Rs 150 crore hospital in Bikaner

Bikaner: Union health minister JP Nadda laid the foundation of a Rs 150-crore super-speciality hospital in Rajasthan's Bikaner, which, he said, will give "a new direction" to health care facilities in the state.

The hospital, which will have 168 beds in its super- speciality block, 46 beds in ICU and seven operation theatres, is to come up at the Sardar Patel Medical College here.

International standards will be followed to build the hospital in which paediatric surgery, neurosurgery, gastric surgery, nephrology, gastroenterology and neurology facilities will be available, Nadda said.

Fourteen new seats for PG courses will be given to the college.

Nadda claimed the hospital's super-speciality block will change the scenario of health-care if readied by December 2017.

Speaking about his ministry's work, he said the Union government has chosen 70 medical colleges across India for upgradation. In Rajasthan, medical colleges in Bikaner, Kota and Udaipur are being upgraded as super-speciality centres.

The government is setting up 58 medical colleges with expenditure of Rs 190 crore each and eight of them will be in Rajasthan in Alwar, Bharatpur, Dungarpur, Barmer, Churu, Bhilwara, Pali and Sikar districts, he added.

Two national cancer centres and 50 tertiary cancer-care centres have been proposed, including one tertiary cancer-care centre in Bikaner.

He said his ministry was working to open more Deendayal Amrit shops, which provides medicines at discounted prices.

Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal, who was also present at the event, hailed Maharaja Ganga Singh, who built the college and hospital.

State Health and Family Welfare Minister Kalicharan Saraf said Union and state governments were working to improve healthcare facilities in Rajasthan.