Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the Centre along with the state governments is trying to build infrastructure for modern healthcare to benefit the poor and the middle class of the country.

Inaugurating several new facilities at AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, Mr. Modi said the government has given a new direction to public health care in the last four years. Mr Modi said the government is upgrading hospitals in 58 districts to medical colleges to provide better facilities.

13 new AIIMS have been announced across the country, out of which work on eight has already begun. He said, dialysis centers are being made in almost every district of the country where free dialysis facility is being provided to the poor.

Mr. Modi added that the government will set up 24 new medical colleges across the country as announced in the Budget. The Prime Minister also said India is working to free the country from TB by 2025 .Talking about Yoga, Mr. Modi said it has established its name for preventive health care.

Earlier, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the National Centre for Aging at AIIMS in New Delhi. This centre will provide the elderly with Multi-Speciality healthcare and it will have 200 general ward beds. The work of the Centre be completed by February 2020 at a cost of 330 crore rupees.

Mr Modi also inaugurated the 555 bed Super Speciality Block in Safdarjung Hospital. He also dedicated the 500 bedded New Emergency Block in Safdarjung and 300 bedded Power Grid Vishram Sadan at AIIMS. Mr Modi inaugurated the Connection Motorable Tunnel between AIIMS, Ansari Nagar and JNPA Trauma Centre.

The tunnel will enable quick transfer of critical patients from the hospital to the trauma centre in just five minutes. The one kilometer long tunnel, and is the first such project to be implemented in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Health Minister J P Nadda said, the government is committed to provide primary, secondary and tertiary care facilities in the country.He said,that projects amounting to 3000 crore rupees are currently underway at AIIMS , Delhi and that 1500 additional beds are expected to be created in the hospital.

Ministers of State for Health Anupriya Patel and Ashwini Kumar Choubey were also present at the function.