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In tune with its vision of providing exceptional healthcare services to those in need, the 1,350-bed Amrita Hospital in Kochi has announced a commitment of ₹65 crore in charitable care over the next year, as part of its silver jubilee celebrations.
The healthcare institution, which incurs an expenditure of ₹40 crore every year for free treatment of needy patients, has committed an additional ₹25 crore this year. A range of medical services will be offered within the budget, including paediatric cardiology, renal transplant, knee replacement, bone marrow transplant, paediatric liver transplant and free fibrous scan.
Since its establishment in 1998, Amrita Hospital has spent more than ₹816 crore in providing free medical care to people. Out of 1.96 crore patients treated at the hospital so far, 59 lakh patients were given either free or subsidised treatment.
Inaugurating the silver jubilee celebrations, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, said that the Union Government in the last 9 years has taken a holistic approach to revolutionise healthcare, with the launch of initiatives like the Swatch Bharat Abhiyan, Poshan mission, mission Indra Dhanush, Ayushman Bharat, and Jal Jivan mission. These have substantially improved people’s health. More than 60 crore poor people are today eligible for free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Medical education infrastructure has improved substantially. In 2013-14, there were 387 medical colleges in India, compared to 648 today. The number of MBBS seats has gone up from 51,000 to 99,000, and PG seats from 31,000 to 64,000 in the same period. Also, 22 new AIIMS have been opened.
Amit Shah remotely inaugurated a state-of-the-art research centre at the Amritapuri (Kollam) campus of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and another research facility adjacent to the Amrita Hospital in Kochi.
Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) said in her video address, “We have a responsibility towards this world and to all living beings in it. The value of life is decided not by what we have gained but by what we have been able to give. If we can give joy to at least one being for even one moment, our life is fulfilled to that extent.”
Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, Vice Chairman of Mata Amritanandamayi Math and Vice President of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, said, Amrita Hospital has successfully treated 1.96 crore patients so far and aims to reach 50 million.
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