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Journalism of Courage
In his post-budget health and medical research webinar Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi detailed his government’s programmes to ensure health for all and stressed the importance of being “atmanirbhar” (self-reliant) when it comes to drugs, vaccines, and medical devices.
He said the government’s focus on creating health infrastructure and human resources would not only provide health to Indians but make India an attractive destination for medical tourism and generate income.
He asked all stakeholders to align their vision for personal growth with the country’s development and give suggestions to the government to create a roadmap.
Making healthcare accessible and affordable is a key focus area of the government, he said, adding that just two schemes – Ayushman Bharat insurance and Jan Aushadhi – have saved Rs 1 lakh crore for Indians.
He said the 5 lakh cover under the government’s flagship insurance scheme saved Indians Rs 80,000 crore that would otherwise have been spent on health services. He added that the 9,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras selling generic medicines cheaper than the market helped people save Rs 20,000 crore.
When it comes to infrastructure, 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres, being set up across the country, have brought screening for conditions like diabetes, cardiac diseases, and cancer close to people’s homes, he said.
The prime minister said that the government’s mission to bring critical health services to small cities and towns has created a health ecosystem that provides an opportunity for investors.
The government, he said, is also focusing on technology to make healthcare affordable, with schemes such as Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, E-Sanjeevani tele consultation platform, and drone technology changing medicine and laboratory logistics.
The prime minister started by saying that when it came to healthcare, it had to be looked at based on pre-Covid and post-Covid eras. Covid has taught the government to focus on ‘One Health’ for all living organisms, he said.
He said that at the peak of Covid-19, drugs, vaccines, and medical devices became weapons for some countries. This, he said, taught us to become “atmanirbhar”. He outlined the government’s initiatives, such as setting up bulk drug parks, medical device parks, and investing Rs 30,000 crore in production-linked incentives.
He said that the government was already working to create a skilled workforce for the sector with biomedical engineering and other similar courses and IITs and other institutes.
Sometimes a disaster can help us prove ourselves, and India’s pharma sector earned trust during Covid-19, PM Modi said. He added that this needed to be leveraged as he detailed the government’s programme to encourage research through centres of excellence and opening up of ICMR laboratories to private players and start-ups announced in this year’s budget.
Along with the government’s initiative to set up more medical colleges and 157 nursing colleges announced in the current year’s budget, a focus on traditional medicines for which there is a global demand, India could become the world’s most attractive medical tourism destination, the PM said. He said it was emerging as a significant source of income generation.
Other than the PMs address, there will be breakout sessions on qualitative improvement in nursing: infrastructure, education and practice; public and private sector utilization of ICMR labs as facilitators for medical research; and pharma innovation and multidisciplinary courses for medical devices.
Besides ministers and secretaries of the concerned central government ministries, stakeholders from state health departments, subject experts, representatives of industries, private medical colleges and hospitals would attend.
