‘Govt focus on facilities to rural health centres’

LUCKNOW : The state health department was focusing on ensuring that the community and primary health centres had adequate facilities for patients , said health minister JP Singh at the inaugural session of the twoday National Student IDA Conference and UP dental show at KGMU on Friday .

“We need to get facilities to PHCs. Instead of new hospitals, the existing PHCs and CHCs would first get adequate manpower, equipment and proper facilities. More dentists at PHCs will make people aware about oral cancer,” said the health minister.

“The health indicators tell us we should be spending about 2.4% of the budget on health but we spend 1.4%. We have budget constrains but this is also a matter of setting priorities and I will say this without criticizing the previous governments,” he said.

The minister said, “In the past 70 years, our priorities were not what they should have been. Till 2017, there were 13 medical colleges and from 2017 to 2019, 13

› The existing PHCs and CHCs would first get adequate manpower, equipment & facilities. JP SINGH, health minister

more medical colleges were planned. Now 14 more are planned and this could have been done by previous governments too,” said the health minister.

The minister said that we also need to develop civic sense. “Lifestyle changes, remaining fit with physical exercise and keeping the surroundings clean can lead us to a fit India,” he said.

In the scientific sessions in the event, 20 national and international experts would speak on different topics, said Dr Amitabh Gupta.

Prof Anil Chandra, secretary of the Indian Dental Association, UP, said that about 400 students and dentists would participate in the programme.