Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Central Ministers Bandaru Dattatreya, M. Venkaiah Naidu and others coming out after inaugurating the OP services at VIMS in Visakhapatnam on Monday. —PHOTO: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
Eight private hospitals had come up in the area earmarked for Health City
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said Visakhapatnam will be developed into a hub for medical tourism.
Taking part in State-level meeting to mark 190{+t}{+h}birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule here at Andhra University Convocation Hall, he said that the inauguration of Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) with OP services, laying of foundation stone for an ESI Hospital at Sheilanagar earlier in the day and development of Health City on the foothills of Simhachalam would convert the city into a destination for healthcare as well as tourism.
Tributes to Phule
Earlier, he along with Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and others paid rich tributes to Mahatma Phule and reiterated the Government’s commitment for social justice and empowerment of Dalits, BCs and women. Mr. Naidu said that the Government would upgrade King George Hospital with modern facilities and develop the VIMS into a super-speciality hospital on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences. He said that Visakhapatnam had emerged as the main centre for healthcare for not only the people of North Andhra but also for those hailing from Odisha and Chattisgarh.
Health City
The Chief Minister said so far eight private hospitals had come up in the area earmarked for Health City out of 35 allotted sites by the Government. He said 10 more had promised to launch work shortly and cautioned that land allotment would be cancelled if the allottees failed to launch work within a year. After resuming the land it would be given to those who were serious about investments into healthcare.
Access to education
He said that Tata Memorial Centre was also setting up a specialised hospital for treatment of cancer patients in the city.
Referring to providing easy access to education to the deprived and marginalised sections, he said that the Government had enhanced the outlay for the BCs and others to improve their lot.
He said that they would set up more number of residential hostels for fishermen, BCs and others with wi-fi facility and constitute industrial trusts in each assembly constituency to train poor people to become entrepreneurs.
On delay in disbursement of scholarships, he said that from June the Government would transfer the amount to bank accounts of the beneficiaries every month.
He also announced the setting up a separate corporation for the education of nomadic tribes and others.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Visakhapatnam / by Santosh Patnaik / Visakhapatnam – April 12th, 2016
