New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS): Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday laid the foundation stone for Sports Injury expansion project at Safdarjung Hospital. The minister directed the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) to complete the work before the deadline.

"I want NBCC to make a sincere effort to finish the work in an year as against the eighteen months stipulated by it with the target of building the best sport injury centre in the world," Dr Harsh Vardhan said. The project will come up at Safdarjung hospital.

Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, there is a renewed focus on sports.

"We are aggressively moving towards setting up state-of-the-art health facilities with the best equipment, techniques and buildings. These facilities are comparable to the very best in the world."

The Sports Injury Centre in Delhi will provide diagnostic, rehabilitative, surgical and in-patient facilities to those suffering from sports and related injuries under one roof.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who was present at the event, laid stress on 'sarve-santuniraamaya', (health for all)and asked the authorities to make all efforts towards it.

The Sports Injury Expansion project will have increased bed strength of 156 (including HDU and ICU beds) compared to the existing 42 beds.

The expansion will also help in increasing the post graduate seats to create trained manpower that can spread across India and treat sportsmen at the field level. The expansion will develop state-of-the-art labs to train doctors of India for surgical and non-surgical management of sports injuries.

The expansion will also reduce the waiting period of surgery for sportsmen (current waiting 3 months) so that they can return to sports activities at the earliest.