‘Jan Aushadhi Kendra’ opened at AIIMS-M’giri

Apurva Chandra, Secretary of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, visited AIIMS Mangalagiri on Monday to chair the 10th Standing Finance Committee meeting of the institute. Following the meeting, the Secretary inaugurated several new services at the institute.
Among the new facilities, the Secretary inaugurated the Jan Aushadhi Kendra, which will provide quality generic medicines at affordable prices for patients. Additionally, a state-of-the-art 20-bed Critical Care Unit, equipped with advanced medical technology, was opened.
The Secretary also inaugurated the 2nd MRI & Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) Lab, which aims to reduce patient wait times for MRI scans and will support minimally invasive interventional radiology procedures with the addition of a second 3Tesla MRI machine and a DSA lab.
Another significant development was the launch of the AIIMS Mangalagiri SMART Card E-Payment System. This secure, user-friendly card allows patients to make real-time payments for care services at AIIMS Mangalagiri. Patients can purchase the card at the cash counter using cash, UPI, debit/credit cards, or net banking, and use it at all patient care service billing counters.
A 24×7 Control Room was also inaugurated to address patient grievances and coordinate patient care issues throughout the hospital. Additionally, the Secretary opened a state-of-the-art 10,000 sq. ft. Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD), responsible for cleaning, processing, and sterilizing surgical instruments, treatment trays, and other medical supplies.
After the inaugurations, Secretary Chandra reviewed the progress of the project and instructed officials to expedite the full operationalization of AIIMS Mangalagiri. He also interacted with patients, receiving positive feedback regarding the services provided.
The meeting was attended by Prof. (Dr.) Atul Goel, Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; Jaideep Kumar Mishra, AS & FA, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; Ankita Mishra Bundela, Joint Secretary, PMSSY; Dr. Satyanarayana K, Director, IIT Tirupati; Dr. B. Reddy Naik, Professor of Zoology, University College of Science, Osmania University Hyderabad; Prof. R. Raveendran, Ex-Dean (Research), JIPMER Puducherry; and Dr. Madhabananda Kar,
Director & CEO, AIIMS Mangalagiri.