Lucknow (UP), Dec 14 (PTI) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday praised the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) for it contributions to healthcare, medical education, and adopting innovation.

Speaking at the 41st Foundation Day celebrations of the SGPGI here, the chief minister said, "The SGPGI is setting new benchmarks in medical care, particularly with the introduction of robotic surgeries and its move towards integrating Artificial Intelligence for enhanced patient care."

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According to a press release, he also highlighted the institute's impressive achievements in 2024, which include registering 116,000 patients and conducting over 14,000 surgeries.

During the event, the chief minister released SGPGI's coffee table book and honoured faculty members and students for their outstanding contributions to medical research and education.

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He acknowledged the institute's accelerated growth over the past seven years, noting that it was entering a critical phase where new departments and facilities were being established with a strong focus on mission-driven progress.

Adityanath also reflected on the state's healthcare challenges, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when many districts lacked ICU beds.

He credited the Tele-ICU initiative, introduced based on SGPGI's director's suggestion, for saving thousands of lives. The system has already been implemented in six medical colleges, with plans to expand to all medical colleges in the state.

The chief minister said that between 1947 and 2017, only 12 medical colleges were established in the state.

But the pace of opening new medical colleges accelerated after the BJP came to power in 2017, he said.

In 2023 alone, 18 new medical colleges -- 13 government colleges, three under the PPP model, and two private -- ?were inaugurated, he said. This has xpanded access to modern healthcare across the state, with free dialysis services introduced in all districts, he said.

The chief minister also shared that Rs 73 crore was allocated from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital last year, benefiting over 21,000 patients.

He assured that no poor patient would face financial barriers in treatment, reaffirming the government's unwavering commitment to healthcare.

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