Chandigarh: The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), a premier medical college and hospital here, celebrated its 45th foundation day on Monday.

Kumari Selja, union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, was the chief guest of the occasion.

Staff members from various departments of the PGIMER were honoured by Kumari Selja for their sincere and meticulous duty towards the organization.

"It is not only the infrastructure that made PGIMER a world-class institution but also its dedicated and motivated work force in every department. It is laudatory that one out of every five patients here is treated free of cost with help from organizations like the Red Cross and Seva Bharti," said Kumari Selja.

As part of the celebrations, the drug de-addiction and treatment centre in the department of psychiatry was holding a three-day exhibition on 'drug abuse in today's society'.

"We are targeting all the staff members, patients visiting OPD, their relatives, students from Panjab University, city colleges and various schools. We are also distributing pamphlets emphasizing on the alarming results of drugs to people coming here," said a facilitator at the exhibition. IANS