Ranchi, September 9: Jharkhand is set for a massive boost in healthcare as Health Minister Dr. Irfan Ansari on Tuesday announced the establishment of a 2,100-bed super-specialty kidney hospital in the state. The facility will provide advanced treatment for serious kidney ailments, including transplants, ensuring patients no longer have to travel outside the state.
The minister also assured the timely completion of Medico City, six new medical colleges, and the addition of 200 ambulances to strengthen health infrastructure across the state.
At a ceremony held at the Lok Swasthya Sansthan auditorium in the capital’s Namkum area on Tuesday, Ansari also handed over appointment letters to 91 Community Health Officers (CHOs). He told the appointees that challenges would come their way but assured that the government would provide full support and protection.
The minister said that reforms in the health sector which were pending for the last 25 years are now being implemented rapidly.
Referring to his visit to Bokaro, Ansari said that the absence of MRI and CT scan machines in hospitals causes difficulties for patients and announced that these facilities will now be installed in every district hospital. He said that tough measures will be implemented to strengthen healthcare in the state.
Additional Chief Secretary of Health Ajay Kumar Singh, who was also present, said that Jharkhand’s health indicators are better than the national average.
Singh said that the state’s infant mortality rate is 25 compared to the national average of 28, while the maternal mortality rate is 56 compared to 97 nationally. As per him, institutional deliveries in Jharkhand stand at 75 percent, slightly below the national average of 88.6 percent.
Earlier in August, Ansari had announced that a 2,200-bed world-class kidney hospital would be built in Ranchi in collaboration with Australian healthcare company Austin Hospital & Services. He said that the company’s CEO Andrei Kolmogorov had agreed to invest in Jharkhand and the project would be kept away from politics.
At present, the state government is also providing financial assistance of up to ₹15 lakh for the treatment of serious diseases like kidney, liver and cancer under the Chief Minister’s Critical Illness Scheme.
