New Delhi, June 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said his government is transforming the country's health infrastructure that is fit for "New India".

Speaking after inaugurating five projects worth Rs 1,700 crore at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung Hospital, Modi said: The government is building a suitable health infrastructure across the country for a New India that will have quality and adequate hospitals, more beds, better facilities and best doctors." 

"The health sector in the country has got a new direction with major policy interventions by the government in the last four years. The Centre with the help of states is putting up an advanced health infrastructure in the country including in tier 2 and tier 3 cities," he said.

The Prime Minister said his government wants to provide quality healthcare to the citizens at lowest possible cost as the burden of disease is the major cause of poverty. For this, his government has initiated more AIIMS-like hospitals in the last four years than done in the last 70 years, he said.

"Thirteen new AIIMS have been announced in the last four year, of which work has started on eight of them. Apart from this, construction of super-specialty hospitals at 15 medical colleges across the country is underway," he said. 

"New avenues for medical education are being introduced. Our government is upgrading hospitals as medical colleges in 58 districts. In this budget, the government announced setting up of 24 new medical colleges. We aim to have at least one medical college in three Lok Sabha seats."

The Prime Minister said about 25,000 new under-graduate and graduate seats have been added in medical colleges in the last four years.

Earlier, Modi laid the foundation stone for National Centre for Ageing, and inaugurated the underground tunnel between AIIMS and Trauma Centre and Power Grid Vishram Sadan at AIIMS. He also inaugurated new emergency and super-specialty blocks at Safdarjung Hospital.

"Facilities at Safdarjung Hospital have been made more advanced with an investment of over Rs 1,300 crore. A super-specialty block and an emergency block have been dedicated to the nation. Safdarjung Hospital has become the country's biggest emergency care hospital with 500-bed capacity just for medical emergency," he said.

The National Centre for Ageing will provide state of art clinical care to the elderly population and play a key role in guiding research in geriatric medicine and related specialties. The Centre will provide multi-specialty healthcare, will have 200 general ward beds and will be developed at a cost of Rs 330 crore by February 2020.

The 997-meter tunnel, to be built at a cost of Rs 44 crore to connect AIIMS and Jai Prakash Narayan Apex (JPNA) Trauma Centre, will significantly reduce the commute time.

The Power Grid Vishram Sadan, built at a cost of Rs 32.67 crore, has a 300-bedded night shelter facility meant for the patients and their relatives visiting AIIMS and Trauma Centre at a nominal cost. The 11-floor facility with a helipad on the roof for heli-ambulances is funded by the state-run Power Grid Corporation.

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Udupi: Police in Udupi have detained a rowdy-sheeter, Ganesh Poojary (48), a resident of Kaudoor village, under the provisions of the Goonda Act.

The action was taken following a report submitted by Udupi Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar. Based on the recommendation, Deputy Commissioner Swaroop T.K. issued the detention order on April 4. The accused has been lodged in the central prison in Kalaburagi as per the order.

According to police records, Ganesh Poojary has a total of 11 cases registered against him at the Karkala Town Police Station. These include four cases of attempted murder, one robbery, three assault cases, one case of unlawful assembly, one gambling-related case, and another miscellaneous offence.

Of these, he has been convicted in one case, acquitted in seven cases, while one case is currently under trial and two others remain under investigation.

Police said the detention was carried out to prevent further criminal activities and to maintain public order in the district.