Expansion of Advanced Health Facilities at PGIMER Chandigarh: A Boost to India's Health Infrastructure
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Advanced Mother and Child Centre and the Advanced Neurosciences Centre at PGIMER, Chandigarh, and laid the foundation stone for a 150-bed Critical Care Block under PM-ABHIM. These new health facilities will strengthen maternal and child health, neurology, emergency medicine, research, and medical education in North India. The Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission aims to bolster the public health system, ICU capacity, and disaster management. The Prime Minister highlighted significant achievements since 2014, including the establishment of 15 new AIIMS and numerous medical colleges, the creation of over 1.75 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, and the facilitation of crores of telemedicine consultations via e-Sanjeevani.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Advanced Mother and Child Centre and the Advanced Neurosciences Centre at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh. He also laid the foundation stone for a modern 150-bed Critical Care Block under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). These projects aim to strengthen advanced healthcare services, medical education, and research in North India.
Key Institution and New Health Facilities
PGIMER, Chandigarh, is one of India's premier tertiary medical and research institutions. The new 300-bed Advanced Mother and Child Centre will provide services for high-risk pregnancies, neonatal intensive care (NICU), pediatrics, and modern diagnostics. Meanwhile, the Advanced Neurosciences Centre features state-of-the-art facilities for neurology, neurosurgery, neuro-critical care, research, and medical education.
Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM)
The objective of PM-ABHIM is to strengthen India's public health system, enhance capabilities to tackle disasters and pandemics, and modernize health infrastructure. Under this mission, 150-bed critical care blocks will be constructed, thereby bolstering ICU capacity, emergency medical services, and disaster response mechanisms.
Major Progress in India's Health Sector
In his address, the Prime Minister highlighted that since 2014, 15 new AIIMS have been approved, numerous new medical colleges have been established, and over 1.75 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are operational across the country. Additionally, crores of telemedicine consultations have been provided through eSanjeevani. Improvements in maternal and child health indicators and an increase in institutional deliveries are also key achievements of the health sector.
Significance for UPSC
This news is important for questions related to PM-ABHIM, PGIMER, Ayushman Arogya Mandir, eSanjeevani, AIIMS expansion, and health infrastructure in the UPSC Preliminary Examination. For the Main Examination (GS-II), it can be linked to topics such as public health, health infrastructure, medical education, digital health, maternal and child health, and Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG-3: Good Health and Well-being).
