Rohtak: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu  flagged off 17 Advance Life Support (ALS) ambulances here which have been provided to the Haryana Health Department under MPLAD fund.

These ambulances, equipped with modern equipment and costing a total of Rs 3.5 crore, would serve patients in far-flung areas, thereby strengthening healthcare services in the state, he said.

The ambulances are for Ambala City, Bhiwani, Faridabad, Gurugram, Hisar, Jind, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Panchkula, Jhajjar, Sonipat, SHKM Medical College, Mewat, Kalpana Chawla Medical College, Karnal, Maharaja Agarsen Medical College, Hissar, and three ambulances for Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, Prabhu said.

These ambulances have been provided to the state health department under MPLAD fund, an official release said.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the state government is focusing on opening medical colleges in every district to increase the number of doctors in the state.

This would help in preparing about 2,000 doctors every year. These medical institutes would be set up either by the government or in public-private-partnership mode, he said, adding his government is making concerted efforts to strengthen infrastructure of the health sector in Haryana.