Considering the need for treatment of speech and hearing, the Union Government would set up five major national level institutions across the country on the lines of All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysore. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday announced in southern city of Mysore that the Union Government plans to set up five major national institutions exclusively for speech and hearing on the lines of AIISH in Mysore. The Minister was in Mysore to attend a function at AIISH. He also said his Ministry would form a committee to decide on the location of the new centres. He said an effort would be made to set up speech and audiology departments in all medical colleges of the country.
Dr Vardhan said the National Health Assurance Mission (NHAM) will be rolled out in the next couple of months. After visiting various facilities at the AIISH and launching the architectural design of Centre for Excellence coming up at the AIISH Dr Vardhan said the mission focuses on preventive healthcare and neurological disorders.
Dr Harsh Vardhan visited the 90-year-old Mysore Medical College Hospital where he launched the “Swachchh Bharat Abhiyaan” by symbolically sweeping the grounds of the hospital and removing litter with his hand. He went on to inspect the wards and interacted with the patients and doctors.
Ahead of Diwali Dr Harsh Vardhan, reiterated the need for a nationwide implementation of the SC's 2005 order banning firecracker bursting in neighbourhood areas. “Diwali is the festival of lights and should not be polluted by noise. One person's merry making should not be the cause of another's trauma,” he added.