President of India Addresses 6th Convocation of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital.

She also noted the achievements in the healthcare sector during the last 10 years. She said, “the number of medical institutions has increased, and the number of PG seats has doubled.

New AIIMS have been established, and undergraduate courses have been introduced in these institutions”. “The recently announced Ayushman Vay Vandana scheme will help catering to the needs of the 70+ elderly population”, she said.

A total of 403 Degrees were awarded to students from DM, MCh, MD, MS, and MBBS programs who successfully completed their training. The President also awarded medals to meritorious students in recognition of their exceptional academic achievements. Additionally, the Annual Report of the institution was released by the distinguished dignitaries.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri J P Nadda congratulated all the students and their parents for their hard work and sacrifice. “This celebratory occasion also marks recognition for the numerous achievements made by the students of VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital which are amongst the most prestigious medical institutes in the country” he stated.

The Union Minister said, “VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital are amongst the busiest medical institute in the country and their medical professionalism is recognised everywhere.”In his message to the students, the Union Minister stated that, “being doctors does not only entail curing diseases, it also involves understanding humanity”. He further stated that, “excellence, values and empathy are key traits to success.”

Background: Safdarjung Hospital was founded in 1942 during the Second World War as a Base Hospital for the allied forces. It was taken over by the Government of India in 1954 under the Ministry of Health. It has grown over the years into one of the largest, tertiary level, multi-disciplinary healthcare institutions in Asia. Based on the patient needs and developments in medical care, the hospital has been regularly upgrading its facilities from diagnostic and therapeutic aspects, in all the specialities. The hospital which started with only 204 beds, has grown exponentially to almost 3000 beds. It has an annual OPD attendance of more than 25 lakh patients. The hospital provides medical care to millions of citizens not only of Delhi, but also to people of neighbouring states. This institution has speciality and super speciality departments like Cardiothoracic Surgery (CTVS), Cardiology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Urology, Nephrology, Pulmonary Medicine, Burns & Plastic Surgery, and Paediatric Surgery which provide state of the art facilities like robotic surgery, sleep laboratory, endoscopies, arthroscopies, video EEG, dialysis, spiral CT, MRI angiography, angioplasty, valve replacement and repairs, coronary artery bypass grafting, lithotripsy, , automated blood Test analysers etc.Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) was established at Safdarjung Hospital by the Government of India in November, 2001. Its inauguration was done by the then Honourable Prime Minister Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 17th December, 2001 in presence of Sh. L.K. Advani, Sh. C. P. Thakur, (then Health Minister) and Founder Principal Dr. Jagdish Prasad. The College building was dedicated to the Nation by the Vice President Sh. M. Hamid Ansari on 20th Nov. 2007 in the presence of Honourable Health Minister Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss. The first batch of MBBS students was admitted in February, 2002. The (MD/MS) course in Pre and Para clinical subjects were started in year 2011, in addition to the pre-existing clinical courses.VMMC is affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University; New Delhi. In a short span of time, VMMC has established itself as a prominent medical institution in India. (‘A Medical marvel’ by as India Today Aspire August 2013, Best Medical College established after 2000, India Today August 24.The hospital has been a centre for training and teaching of post–graduate students since 1962. In 1973. the hospital faculty constituted the clinical faculty of the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) to which it was attached till 1990. Even after UCMS shifted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital at Shahdara, Delhi, the hospital continued to impart post-graduate training in various specialties, affiliated to Delhi University. From academic year 2008 onwards, all PG seats have been affiliated to GGSIP University and currently the number stands at 325 -MD/MS and 43 Superspeciality (MCh/DM). seats.  The hospital has also been a centre for training of interns from various institutions in the country and abroad, since the eighties.Smt. Roli Singh, Additional Secretary, Health Ministry; Prof. Geetika Khanna, Principal, VMMC; Dr. Sandeep Bansal, Medical Superintendent, VMMC; senior officers of the Union Government; faculty members, students and staff of VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital were also present on the occasion.