Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh), April 13 (IANS) Amrit Pharmacy and Integrated Public Health Laboratory -- the two ambitious medical projects -- were launched by Union Minister Anupriya Patel in the city on Sunday, paving the way for affordable and effective healthcare for the city residents at much lower cost.

Union Minister Anupriya Patel launched two important projects in the Divisional Hospital. She inaugurated the Integrated Public Health Laboratory and performed Bhoomi Pujan for Amrit Pharmacy.

The two projects will not only make the medical facilities cheaper for city residents but will also bring it at par with bigger towns with extensive medical facilities.

More than 6,500 lifesaving medicines will be available at Amrit Pharmacy, at about 60-70 per cent lesser than the market price. Surgical equipment will also be available here.

The state-of-the-art Public Health laboratory has been equipped with conducting as many as 92 tests and hence will help people in getting a wide array of pathological and diagnostic tests done at one facility.

Speaking to the press, Anupriya Patel said that the government is serious about addressing the issue of shortage of doctors in hospitals and informed that new medical colleges are being opened to fill the gap.

She said that the government is making efforts to solve this problem. The Central government has decided to add 75,000 new seats in medical colleges. A provision has also been made to appoint specialist doctors by paying them salaries as per their demand.

Many city residents praised the initiative and spoke about how the medical projects will have a huge bearing on their lives.

Lal Bahadur Singh said: “We will save a lot of money because Amrit Pharmacy will provide generic medicines at half the rates, as compared to branded medicines. The laboratory will also be of great help as we will get the tests done at a cheaper rate."

Ajit Patel, another local resident, praised the initiative, saying: "Amrit Pharmacy will come as a boon for city residents as it will provide a lot of respite from expensive medicines."