Prime Minister Modi said his government takes a holistic approach to healthcare and focuses on well-being
New Delhi:
The prestige and confidence of India’s healthcare sector has grown across the world after successfully overcoming the ordeal by fire during the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the Prime Minister said on Tuesday. Minister Narendra Modi and affirmed that now is the time to take accessibility and affordability of health care to the next level.
Addressing a webinar on the effective implementation of EU budget provisions in the health sector, he said the budget allocated to health this year is unprecedented and shows the government’s commitment to provide better health care.
Prime Minister Modi said his government takes a holistic approach to healthcare and does not just focus on treatment, but also on well-being.
To keep India healthy, the government is working on four fronts simultaneously: preventing disease and promoting well-being, providing cheap and effective treatment to the poorest of the poor, increasing the quality and quantity health infrastructure and health professionals, and work in mission mode. to overcome obstacles, Prime Minister Modi said.
The Prime Minister said it was time to take the accessibility and affordability of healthcare to the next level where the use of modern technology is increased, he said.
“The past year has been sort of ‘agnipareeksha’ (trial by fire) for the country and in particular for the health sector. I am happy that the country’s health sector has succeeded in this “agnipareeksha”. We have succeeded in saving so many lives, ”he said while attributing this success to the combined efforts of government and the private sector.
The Prime Minister recalled how, in a few months, the country could set up a network of 2,500 laboratories and how it could reach the milestone of 21 crore of tests from a mere dozen tests.
Prime Minister Modi said the pandemic has taught a lesson which is not only to fight the virus, but to prepare the country for such a future situation.
“From medical equipment to drugs, from ventilators to vaccines, from scientific research to surveillance infrastructure, from doctors to epidemiologists, we must pay attention to everything so that the country is better prepared for any health disaster in the future,” said he declared.
This is the inspiration behind the PM Aatmanirbhar Swasth Bharat program under which it was decided that a modern ecosystem would be developed from research to testing and treatment in the country itself, he said.
The Prime Minister said that according to the recommendations of the 15th Finance Committee, local bodies would receive more than Rs 70,000 crore keeping in mind the health services.
“The government is emphasizing not only investing in health care, but also expanding access to health care in remote areas of the country,” he said.
During the pandemic, the strength shown by the Indian healthcare sector, the power and the experience it has displayed have been closely noted by the world, Prime Minister Modi said.
Around the world, the prestige of health care in India and the confidence in it is at a new level, he said.
Prime Minister Modi said the demand for Indian doctors, nurses, paramedics, medicines and vaccines will increase across the world and the country should prepare for it.
He said a new trust had been established for Indian medicines and vaccines during the COVID period.
Prime Minister Modi said that the world’s attention will definitely shift to India’s medical education system and there will be a huge influx of foreign students to study medicine in India.
“We need to work faster after the great feat we achieved in manufacturing ventilators and equipment during the pandemic, because there is increased international demand for these,” he said.
He asked the participants if India could dream of supplying medical equipment to the world in a cost effective manner.
Unlike previous governments, the Prime Minister has said that the current government deals with health issues in a holistic rather than piecemeal fashion.
Therefore, the focus is on well-being and not just on treatment, he said.
Protocols adopted to prevent the coronavirus can also be adopted to prevent tuberculosis as the disease spreads through droplets from infected people, he said, stressing that the country has set a goal of eradicating tuberculosis by 2025.
Wearing masks and early diagnosis and treatment are also important in preventing tuberculosis, he noted.
Commending the efforts of the AYUSH sector, he said that AYUSH’s infrastructure has also been of great help in increasing immunity and scientific research.
He said the world was feeling the impact of traditional medicines on improving health, as well as the COVID-19 vaccine.
Prime Minister Modi said that while India has become the world’s pharmacy, it still depends on imported raw materials. He said such dependence did not bode well for the country’s industry and was a huge barrier to providing affordable health care.
He also explained how brain fever claims the lives of thousands of children each year in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh.
“This was discussed in Parliament and in fact, once discussing the matter, the current UP Chief Minister (Yogi Adityanath) cried over the situation. But since he became CM he has carried out a targeted activity and we are getting encouraging results as we have pointed out on stopping the spread of brain fever and increasing the treatment facilities, ”he said.
The government has proposed a budget expenditure of Rs 2,23,846 crore for health and welfare in 2021-2022.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
