IMS-BHU, Varanasi: Modi to lay NCA stone in December

The NCA will be the third of the nation and will come up under National Program for Healthcare of the Elderly

The construction of the National Centre for Ageing (NCA) will begin at IMS-BHU, Varanasi, sometime in December, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays its foundation stone.

For representation only (HT Photo)

A senior official of the IMS-BHU said that Modi is likely to lay its foundation in December. Preparations for it have begun.

The NCA, to come up in BHU, will be the third NCA of the nation. It will come up under National Program for Healthcare of the Elderly (NPHCE). The other two NCAs are based at NCA- AIIMS, Delhi and NCA at Madras Medical College, Chennai.

Director IMS-BHU Prof SN Sankhwar said, “The NCA will prove to be a boon for treatment of the elderly. Specialists in geriatric medicine will provide best care possible to the elderly.”

Prof Sankhwar thanked Modi and Union health minister Dr Mansukh Mandviya for giving the NCA to IMS-BHU.

“I am thankful to vice-chancellor Prof Sudhir Kumar Jain for his active support and guidance in this crucial project (NCA),” said Prof Sankhwar.

According to a senior official, a team from the union health ministry visited the BHU on Friday and held a meeting with IMS-BHU director Prof Sankhwar.

Prof Anup Singh, founder head of Geriatric medicine at IMS-BHU, is the nodal officer of the national programme for healthcare of the elderly at IMS-BHU.

When contacted, Prof Singh said, “The NCA will have all facilities required for the treatment of elderly people. After the NCA comes up, there will be tremendous improvement in elderly health care facilities here.”

The setting up an NCA in the IMS-BHU was recently approved by ministry of health and family welfare to strengthen healthcare services for elderly in the Purvanchal region.