PM Modi has launched projects worth ₹12,850 crore and expanded Ayushman Bharat to cover all individuals over 70 years old.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched development projects worth nearly ₹12,850 crore on Tuesday, October 29, 2024. He also extended the government's flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat, to all senior citizens aged 70 and above.

This significant initiative in the health sector was unveiled during the ninth Ayurveda Day celebration and on the birth anniversary of Dhanvantari, the Hindu god of medicine.

During the event, Modi inaugurated phase II of India's first All India Institute of Ayurveda, located in the national capital. This phase includes a Panchakarma hospital, an Ayurvedic pharmacy for drug manufacturing, a sports medicine unit, a central library, an IT and startup incubation center, and a 500-seat auditorium, among other facilities.

In a bid to enhance service delivery and make healthcare more accessible, he launched drone services at 11 tertiary healthcare institutions. These institutions are AIIMS-Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), AIIMS-Bibinagar (Telangana), AIIMS-Guwahati (Assam), AIIMS-Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), AIIMS-Jodhpur (Rajasthan), AIIMS-Patna (Bihar), AIIMS-Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh), AIIMS-Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh), AIIMS-Raipur (Chhattisgarh), AIIMS-Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh), and RIMS-Imphal (Manipur).

The Prime Minister also launched a helicopter emergency medical service from AIIMS Rishikesh, aimed at speeding up medical care delivery. Additionally, he introduced the U-WIN portal, designed to benefit pregnant women and infants by fully digitizing the vaccination process. This portal will ensure the timely administration of life-saving vaccines to pregnant women and children (from birth to 16 years) against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases.

Further initiatives included launching a portal for allied and healthcare professionals and institutions, which will serve as a centralized database for existing healthcare professionals and institutes.

Mr. Modi inaugurated three medical colleges in Mandsaur, Neemuch, and Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, as well as facility and service extensions at various AIIMS facilities, including Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh), Kalyani (West Bengal), Patna (Bihar), Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Guwahati (Assam), and New Delhi. This includes the establishment of a Jan Aushadhi Kendra.

He also inaugurated a Super Speciality Block at the Government Medical College in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, and a Critical Care Block in Bargarh, Odisha. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stones for five nursing colleges in Shivpuri, Ratlam, Khandwa, Rajgarh, and Mandsaur, all in Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, he announced 21 critical care blocks in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan under the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, as well as various facility and service extensions at AIIMS in New Delhi and Bilaspur.

Among other projects, he inaugurated an ESIC hospital in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and laid the foundation for additional hospitals in Faridabad (Haryana), Bommasandra and Narasapur (Karnataka), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Meerut (Uttar Pradesh), and Atchutapuram (Andhra Pradesh). These projects are expected to provide healthcare benefits to approximately 55 lakh ESI beneficiaries.

Other projects for which foundation stones were laid include a central research institute in yoga and naturopathy in Khordha (Odisha) and Raipur (Chhattisgarh), as well as centers of excellence at NIPER-Ahmedabad for medical devices, NIPER-Hyderabad for bulk drugs, NIPER-Guwahati for phytopharmaceuticals, and NIPER-Mohali for antibacterial and antiviral drug discovery and development.

In a major boost to the Make in India initiative in the healthcare sector, the Prime Minister inaugurated five projects under the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for medical devices and bulk drugs in Vapi (Gujarat), Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), and Nalagarh (Himachal Pradesh). These units will manufacture high-end medical devices, such as body implants and critical care equipment, along with essential bulk drugs.