Bansal for Public-Private partnership in healthcare

Chandigarh, July 7 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Finance Pawan Kumar Bansal today stressed on the need for partnership between public and private sectors, for improving healthcare facilities in the country.

''To improve health care, the private sector and the public sector should chip in for providing health facilities for all,'' Mr Bansal said on the foundation day celebration of Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIIMER) here today.

He also lauded PGI for imparting quality healthcare of international standard and said the country need to have more such medical institutions.

Mr Bansal, who was the Chief Guest on the occasion, also inaugurated an exhibition on cancer in the new OPD Block.

The Guest of Honour on the occasion, Mr G K Chadha, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, in his keynote address also concurred with Mr Bansal's views saying that India could compete with other developed countries only by investing more in health and education in the backward areas. He stressed that there was an urgent need for a high class university in each state to improve the quality of education in the country.

PGI Director Prof K K Talwar apprised the audience about the various achievements of the prestigious institute.

''Since its inception, PGI has upgraded several existing facilities and has established new facilities to provide state-of-the-art care to the patients. It boasted an Advanced Eye Centre and the Bone Marrow Centre. A PET scan and a gamma-knife are expected to be functional by the beginning of next year,'' he said.

The Director said the recently inaugurated Telemedicine initiative that linked PGI and Punjab had provided over 1200 consultations to the doctors working in remote areas.

''These facilities have also been extended to various medical colleges in the adjoining states to provide tele-education,'' he said.

The department of Biotechnology has been given Rs 7.5 crore grant for Stem Cell Research and an advanced Cardiac Centre, Trauma Centre, Burn Unit and new ICU of Gastroenterology and Hepatology were being established in the hospital, Prof Talwar added. During the function students who won various distinctions were given medals and some PGI employees with meritorious awards were honoured by the Chief Guest and Guest of Honour.

UNI