India is very different today in healthcare with many new initiatives taken under leadership PM Modi

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over the convocation ceremony of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Rishikesh, Uttarakhand,  on March 14, 2020. Congratulating the fresh graduates, Shah said that PM Narendra Modi has provided young doctors with a special platform in the form of his vision to make India a global leader in healthcare. He advised the graduating doctors to not think merely of their income or posting but aim for ensuring India has a world class healthcare system.

Commenting on the 360° healthcare ecosystem of AIIMS, Shah said that AIIMS is not simply a hospital. It is a complete research, training, and service providing institute in the field of healthcare. He noted that India is very different today in healthcare with many new initiatives undertaken under the leadership of PM Modi and added that it is the task for young doctors to see those initiatives through.  Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal ‘Nishank,’ and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat were present on the occasion.

Noting the significant increase in healthcare infrastructure under the leadership of PM Modi, Shah said that the last six years saw 157 new medical colleges have been approved and created. He also said that while in former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpeyee’s term, 6 new AIIMS were established, today there are 16 more AIIMS. He said that the Government’s vision is to ensure one AIIMS in every state. He also said that 29,000 new MBBS seats and 17,000 new medical Post Graduate seats have been created in the last 6 years, and Niti Aayog is working on a plan to create 10,000 more PG seats. He said that the aim of the Government is to ensure at least one doctor in every village and one PG doctor at every sub-division, and called this an essential condition for India to reach the commanding height of development.

Shah hailed Ayushman Bharat Yojana as the world’s largest health related welfare scheme including complex tertiary care and called it a major opportunity for doctors. He noted that most states have implemented and some have even extended this scheme. He remarked that more than 91 lakh patients have availed benefits of this scheme for operations.

Speaking on the benefits of Jan Aushadhi Kendra under the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), Shah said that more than 1 crore families benefit from these centres every month in the form of access to affordable medicine. He said that the Government has ensured drastic reduction in MMR and IMR through institutionalised deliveries and a budget of Rs 69,000 crore has been earmarked for the same.

Outlining the four components of Prime Minister Modi’s vision for a healthy India, he said that the first part includes preventive aspects like Fit India, Mission Indradhanush, and Yoga. The second stage includes provisioning of healthcare in the form of 22 AIIMS and the eventual vision of ensuring one AIIMS per state. The third stage consists of ensuring an adequate number of doctors and to this end, the Government is working towards establishing one medical college in every parliamentary constituency by 2024. Stage four of the Prime Minister’s healthy India vision comprises the creation of healthcare infrastructure like Ayushman Bharat and PMBJP Yojana, he added, according to a PIB release.

Shah advised the graduating doctors to always remember that a doctor is akin to God for patients. He said that doctors must stay back in the country and serve the countrymen by strengthening the research base in India.