India turned into cost-effective medical destination in last 9 years: Jitendra Singh

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Highlighting the healthcare reforms by the central government, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said that the last nine years have turned India into a cost-effective medical destination and this has been possible because of several pathbreaking healthcare reforms.

Addressing the inaugural session of the 42nd annual conference of the National Medicos Organisation (NMO) organised at AIIMS Kalyani, West Bengal, Jitendra Singh said that previously India was hardly known for any preventive healthcare but today India is recognized as the vaccination hub of the world. He also said that Medico organisations can collaborate with the government for ensuring last-mile delivery of healthcare.

Singh said that today we can evidently see patients from several other countries including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and even European countries coming over to leading hospitals including government hospitals in India for treatment.

“All of them have gone back satisfied because the treatment provided to them is world-class as India has all the medical facilities available as present anywhere else in the world and at a much cheaper cost,” he said.
The Minister said that the number of old age people in the country is increasing. Pensioners outnumber the serving employees. Because of this, diseases of old age are also increasing.

Another big challenge the country is facing today is the diseases of old age affecting the middle and young age groups. The Minister said that it is pertinent that India address these metabolic disorders because the country is moving forward rapidly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hence we have to protect the potential and energy of our youth, he added.

Jitendra Singh said that during the previous governments, the health budget was a very small fraction of the Union Budget. By bringing in Ayushman Bharat, the first-of-its-kind health insurance scheme in the world, India has moved from a sectoral and segmented approach of health service delivery to a comprehensive need-based health care service. Further revival of the healthcare system has also been initiated through the celebration of International Yoga Day, integrating traditional medicines with allopathy.

2023 is celebrated as the International year of Millets focussing on nutrient-rich millets. In the same line, India has also given the concept of wellness to the world. It is not just prevention of illness but also promotion of health and wellbeing so that citizens can contribute to nation building with utmost energy and wellbeing, he added.
Minister said that another important aspect is integrated healthcare where integration of Ayurveda and yoga with modern medical practices is needed. In the past few years, the government has made a cautious effort to revive our traditional knowledge.

In this regard, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has established traditional knowledge digital library where everyone has access to it, not only patent holders so that we have a system of healthcare that has an optimum mix of our traditional knowledge with the most modern discoveries and inventions. (ANI)