Healthcare, education are two crucial components in growth process: Union Minister

Tirupati: Healthcare and education are the two crucial components in the growth of a nation. The health index decides the development of a nation, said Hardeep Singh Puri, Union minister for housing and urban affairs, petroleum and natural gas.

The Union minister along with his family and entourage, after offering prayers in the temple of Lord Venkateswara Swamy in Tirumala on Tuesday, visited the TTD-run Sri Padmavathi Children's Heart Centre and BIRRD Ortho Hospitals.

TTD executive officer A.V. Dharma Reddy and director of SPCHC Dr Srinath Reddy took him on a round of various wards where infants and children are being treated for their heart ailments.

Later, the Union minister also visited the BIRRD ortho hospital and learned about the services offered by the TTD to people free of cost.

Speaking to the media, the minister expressed his happiness over the services being offered by the TTD to the infants and children through heart surgeries to the needy free of cost. “Services in these two-TTD run hospitals are laudable, especially those at the paediatric cardiac centre are impeccable. I saw a few days old and months-old infants who were successfully treated by a team of doctors and para medical staff. They are giving a new lease of life to many,” he said.

He praised the TTD for having started such a hospital as also the initiative of the state government in this context.

The minister said he was informed that even during the hard times of Covid, the TTD-run BIRRD hospital had served as a Covid Care Centre and treated many.

“Today, under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we rebuilt the healthcare centres in the country from scratch. India stood as a role model to the entire world during the pandemic and today, over 224 crore vials for vaccination are being manufactured by India," he said.