Ahmedabad: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday alleged instead of improving health infrastructure, Congress leaders “made money” in the name of improving medical education facilities when the party was in power before 2014.
Addressing a gathering in Kalol town in Gandhinagar district, Shah said the healthcare scenario improved after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014.
“Under the Ayushman Bharat or PM-JAY scheme, 60 crore poor citizens are now getting free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. In addition, PM Modi has also allocated Rs 64,000 crore to set up the required health infrastructure to implement that scheme. 35,000 new beds were added in hospitals across 600 districts under this scheme,” said Shah.
He added that a separate budget of Rs 1,600 crore has been granted to set up integrated laboratories and research centres in the country.
Shah is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, where elections are due in December this year, which began on Monday.
Earlier in the day, Shah laid foundation stones for two hospitals – a 750-bed hospital to be managed by a trust and another 150-bed hospital to be operated by the Employees’ State Insurance Scheme, to be set up in Kalol.
“What is the meaning of such infrastructure if there are no doctors in hospitals? During the Congress rule, leaders were busy making money in the name of improving medical education facilities. It was PM Modi who improved this scenario after assuming the office,” the Gandhinagar MP said.