Minister to ensure weaker sections undergo heart surgery

Perambalur, Jun 8 (UNI) Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology A Raja handed over recommendation letters to 14 boys and girls of the weaker sections of society for undergoing heart surgery under the 'Chief Minister's Cardiac Surgery scheme' during a Health Festival held here.

Speaking on the occassion yesterday, he said over 1.60 lakh men, women and children were screened in the 160 Varumun Kappom camps in various parts of the composite Perambalur district. Medicines worth Rs seven lakh were distributed to the needy. and about 70 people affected by HIV positive were undergoing treatment, he added.

Mr Raja said Rs eight lakh had been allotted from the MP's constituency development fund for the health festival. The fund had been utilised for procuring sophisticated equipment and the students identified with suspected ailments would undergo heart surgery at free of cost in some private hospitals, he added.

The minister said to ensure medical facilities for the residents of the district, the government had sanctioned a Government Medical College here. The site for starting the college to be identified shortly and steps would be taken for construction of the building within a year, he added.

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