New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) Delhi will see 16 new hospitals come up in the current financial year, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna said Monday.
“We are committed to expanding the health infrastructure and facilities of Delhi. During the current financial year (2009-10), six allopathic, four ayurvedic, five homeopathic and one unani dispensary will be opened,” Khanna said in his address for the 2009 budget session.

He said construction of a 750-bed teaching hospital in Dwarka and a 200-bed hospital in Kokiwala has started. “Land has been taken over for a 200-bed hospital in Chhatarpur, Madipur, Jwalapuri, Ambedkar Nagar and Bamnauli.”

“My government has also taken steps to upgrade the existing facilities in hospitals for the Commonwealth Games and the polyclinic at the Commonwealth Games village, to provide 24 hrs medical service,” the lieutenant governor added.

He further said that the government has taken the initiative of introducing three vaccines for Hepatitis B, typhoid and maternal mortality in the routine immunization programme of Delhi for arresting mortality and morbidity among children.

“Immunization coverage has improved appreciably, from 68 percent in 1998 to 81.9 percent in 2006. Every year nine rounds of immunization are conducted under the Pulse Polio Programme, and as a result the incidence of polio cases have come down from an annual average of 500 cases a few years ago, to just three cases in 2008.

“In order to protect the citizens from the ill effects of passive smoking and to reduce tobacco consumption, my government has proposed a two-year project called ‘Smoke Free Delhi’” he added.