Chief Minister opens IMA blood centre, underscores local healthcare gains
Gorakhpur, Sep 16 (IANS) — Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday inaugurated the IMA Charitable Blood Centre in Gorakhpur and urged residents to donate blood, asserting that the district and the state have seen substantial improvements in health infrastructure over recent years.
Addressing those present, the Chief Minister said blood donation is an act of compassion and cannot be manufactured, and appealed to citizens to help save lives by donating. He highlighted what he described as a transformation in local medical capacity, citing development at BRD Medical College, the establishment of an AIIMS in Gorakhpur and the presence of multiple medical and higher-education institutions in the district.
"Medical facilities, equipments and medicines can be made to suit modern standards but blood cannot be made. It is a symbol of compassion where a donor saves a life of a recipient," the Chief Minister said, according to IANS.
Yogi Adityanath also said the functioning of the first ICU in eastern Uttar Pradesh has been started by Guru Shri Gorakshnath Chikitsalaya. He added that services that previously required travel to Lucknow, such as dialysis, were now available locally in Gorakhpur.
Speaking on past administrations, the Chief Minister levelled accusations against the previous Samajwadi Party government, saying it had demanded money for issuing licences for medical facilities. He said his approach was different and claimed that his government provided necessary facilities without paying bribes.
Numbers and services highlighted
During his remarks, Yogi Adityanath cited several figures to demonstrate the expansion of medical education and services in Uttar Pradesh and Gorakhpur specifically.
- Increase in MBBS seats in the state from 4,600 to more than 13,500.
- Postgraduate medical seats have, he said, doubled.
- Local facilities now include a BRD Medical College upgraded to a super-speciality centre and the presence of an AIIMS in Gorakhpur.
- Under a government scheme, 10 dialysis beds per district hospital are available free of cost, the Chief Minister stated.
| Item | Previously | Now (as quoted) |
|---|---|---|
| MBBS seats in Uttar Pradesh | 4,600 | More than 13,500 |
| Postgraduate seats | — | Doubled |
| Dialysis beds available free per district hospital | — | 10 |
The Chief Minister also claimed that Gorakhpur has expanded its higher-education footprint, saying there are now two medical colleges and four universities functional in the district.
Local implications and context
The inauguration of the IMA blood centre comes against a longstanding public-health focus in Gorakhpur, which has previously attracted national attention during encephalitis outbreaks and concerns about medical infrastructure. Upgrades at BRD Medical College and the arrival of AIIMS are frequently cited by state leaders as indicators of improved local care capacity.
By drawing attention to licence-linked corruption alleged against the previous Samajwadi Party government, the Chief Minister framed the new health measures as part of a broader governance and service-delivery narrative. The claims echo repeated state-level statements contrasting recent investments and expansions in health services with conditions described as deficient in earlier years.
IANS reported the event and the Chief Minister's remarks. The inauguration also included the announcement that the first ICU in eastern Uttar Pradesh, run by Guru Shri Gorakshnath Chikitsalaya, has begun functioning alongside the new blood bank facility.
Local citizens and health administrators will be watching implementation of the schemes highlighted by the Chief Minister, particularly the operationalisation of dialysis services and free dialysis beds, and the functioning of the newly opened blood centre and ICU facilities in meeting Gorakhpur's healthcare needs.
