Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh on October 17, 2019, hailed the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana as a unique and successful health insurance scheme launched by PM Narendra Modi in 2018.
Addressing the Asia Health-2019 conference in New Delhi, Dr Singh said that over 50 lakh people have benefited from this scheme and the government is taking healthcare protection to a new aspirational level. It is the “world’s largest government funded healthcare programme” targeting more than 50 crore beneficiaries, he added.
Dr Singh suggested that in a heterogeneous and dynamic nation like India the fundamental priorities need to be considered while determining the spectrum of healthcare and disease. ” We can not copy the West or other countries of the world in this connection. Though we need qualitative and quantitative changes in the health care sector but we should always keep in mind the disease spectrum and trait of dynamism occurring in India,” he said, according to a PIB release. He said that India is evolving state and the disease and healthcare spectrum should be determined according to it.
Speaking on the Data on health care in India, Dr Singh said that we need to do much more on it as the disease spectrum has changed a lot during the last 30-40 years. The diseases, which were unheard in India in the past, have become very much prevalent now-a- days like heart disease or diabetes etc. Some of the diseases, which were confined to some areas or States only, are no longer limited to that area, the socio-cultural milieu does not determine the data on health care, therefore need to work on data collection is essential, he added.
Dr Singh also emphasised on the importance of human interface in the healthcare sector. He said that new technology is needed but there is no alternatives for human interface in the health care. He also said that India is a younger nation as 70 per cent of its population is below the age of 40 years who will achieve PM Narendra Modi’s vision of making India a 5 trillion economy by 2024.
Concluding his address, Dr Singh said that we have to take care of preventive part of healthcare system in India to get rid of the epidemics of the preventable diseases otherwise these diseases will continue to grow. Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Prof. K. Vijay Raghavan was also present on the occasion.