Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya inaugurated the 300-bed Shri Dhruv Charitable Hospital on the Shyampur-Najibabad road in Haridwar on Tuesday. The Governor lit the ceremonial lamp, along with Mahamandaleshwar Dhruv Das and the hospital founder Balak Das, to inaugurate the programme. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) senior functionary Indresh Kumar presided over the function.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the Governor said that this charitable hospital opened in the name of Dhruv Das will prove to be greatly beneficial for the public. She also appreciated the efforts put in by the founder of the hospital in this endeavour for public service.
There is no other hospital available to the public within 20 kilometre of the site of this hospital.The opening of this hospital will facilitate convenient access to medical services to both the local people and travellers.
The Governor further said that the members of the ascetic community have since ancient times provided able guidance to the people and when needed have also made major sacrifices for the society. The ascetics have always given the message of serving the society even after renouncing the materialistic life.
Contributions being made by religious organisations for social welfare and humane works even today further strengthens the relation between religion and humanity.Haridwar is visited by pilgrims and tourists. Along with the local population, the city also sustains pilgrims and tourists arriving here regularly. Opening of the Shri Dhruv Charitable Hospital will greately benefit the local residents, pilgrims and tourists in Haridwar, she said. The opening of this hospital will also reduce the dependence of the people on Government and private hospitals in times of emergencies.
The Governor recalled that Uttarakhand is still a comparatively young State which faces various challenges in the sphere of health and medical service. Efforts are being made consistently to bring about improvements in the health sector in the State. The Governor said that this hospital should also be linked with the Ayushman Bharat Yojana so that the poor people can access free medical treatment.
Referring to the importance of Ayushman Bharat Yojana, she said that efforts should be made to ensure that the maximum number of people possible avail the benefit of this important scheme. This will enable achieving of the prime minister’s vision of healthy and prosperous nation, said the Governor.
Speaking on the occasion, the State’s Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj said that serving people is akin to serving god and that serving the poor is real service. He said that opening a hospital in this area was a very commendable initiative.
The Haridwar Rural MLA Yateeshwaranand, Pankaj from Vishwa Hindu Parishad, chief Imam Umar Ahmed Ilyasi, members of the religious fraternity and officials were also among those present on the occasion.
