NEW DELHI: BJP MPs from Delhi Manoj Tiwari and Gautam Gambhir on Friday met Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan requesting him to set up a state-of-the-art healthcare facility on the lines of AIIMS in east Delhi.
Referring to “non-availability of good healthcare services” in the Trans-Yamuna region, the parliamentarians, in a letter to the minister, said that over 80 lakh people living in the ‘Yamuna paar’ area have been suffering due to poor healthcare facilities, and a hospital like AIIMS would benefit them.
“Every year, people in large numbers die in the absence of resources and health services. They could have been saved. Deaths due to non-availability of treatment during the coronavirus pandemic establish this. Hence, you are requested to build a hospital on the lines of AIIMS in Trans-Yamuna area under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s AIIMS extension vision, keeping in mind people living in east Delhi area and adjoining districts of Uttar Pradesh,” said the letter signed by Tiwari and Gambhir.
Speaking about the meeting with Vardhan, Tiwari said that as a public representative, he should become the voice of the people of his constituency and took the initiative on behalf of the government to open a hospital.
Tiwari represents Northeast Delhi constituency.
East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir, who also urged for a better healthcare system for the residents of Trans-Yamuna region, applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.
“This is a dire need of lakhs of poor families living in our area. For decades, people have lived miserably but now the time has come when Delhi’s misgovernance and poor healthcare system cannot be spared, and I will take the initiative to meet the need of a hospital like AIIMS,” Gambhir said.
Tiwari further informed that the minister has given assurance to hold meetings with health ministry officials to explore possibilities to build the facility.
“He will soon organise a meeting to find out schemes or provisions under which the hospital can be set up in the area. He has promised that we (Tiwari and Gautam) would also be invited to attend the meeting,” Tiwari said.