Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], January 21 (ANI): Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel laid the foundation stone of Khodaldham Trust Cancer Hospital in Rajkot on Sunday.

The Shree Khodaldham Trust (SKT), an organisation for the Leuva Patel community, will build a hospital and a cancer research center in Amreli village in Padadhari taluka of Rajkot.

Earlier, PM Modi, while virtually addressing the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the hospital, said that 30 new cancer hospitals were developed in the state in last nine years.

The PM also said that Gujarat has made unprecedented progress in the field of health in the last 20 years, and the state is becoming a big medical hub in India.

“Gujarat has made unprecedented progress in the field of health in the last 20 years. Today, Gujarat is becoming a big medical hub in India. Till 2002, there were only 11 medical colleges in Gujarat, and their number has increased to 40 currently. In 20 years, the number of MBBS seats has increased five times, and the number of PG seats has increased three times,” the PM said, adding that the government wants to ensure that cancer patients don’t face any problems during their treatment.

“In the last nine years, 30 new cancer hospitals were developed, while work is underway for 10 more such hospitals,” the PM added.

He further said that the central government has built around 1.5 lakh ‘Ayushman Arogya Mandirs’.

“These Mandirs focus on the early detection of cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The early detection of cancer helps doctors treat it,” he said.

Noting that it is important that people remain healthy for the development of the country, the PM said that as many as six crore people have benefited from the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

“For the development of the country, it is important that people remain healthy. We also started the Ayushman Bharat Yojana for the poor. This scheme has helped more than six crore people,” he added.

The PM also said that the women have greatly benefited from the efforts of the central government in the field.

“Due to the effort of the central government, the women have benefited a lot. The Ayushman Arogya Mandir plays an important role in the early detection of cervical cancer and breast cancer,” the PM said. (ANI)