President bats for affordable health care

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

Ahmedabad, October 23

Delivering the inaugural adress at Ankleshwar in Bharuch district of Gujarat after uveiling two hospitals — Sardar Patel Heart Institute and Sevashram Hospital — President Pranab Mukherjee today reminded Mahatma Gandhi’s talisman of serving poorest of the poor.

Reminding people of the diversity of the country, the President asked, “Do you know what binds this country? It is the Constitution, which is not just a book to guide administrators, rather provide the foundation of India and Indianess.”

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Lauding the contribution of Sardar Patel, he said at the time of Independence India was scattered among 570 princely states, “but it was the sole affort of the Iron Man that we have India of today with one Constitution, one national government and one set of law to rule us”.

The President also lauded the efforts of Congress leader Ahmed Patel for building the hospital in Sardar Patel’s name. “The fact that this event is happening days before Sardar’s birth anniversary on October 31 is heartening.”

The President said it was essential for India to have good facilities for a modern and scientific healthcare system for its citizens as this was a must to enable the country to occupy it’s rightful place in the global grouping of nations.

“We need to have and ensure access for all to the modern and scientific health care system,” he said. 

To compete globally, people of India need to be healthy, the President added.

Before this event, the President also visited the renovated Sevashram hospital in Bharuch and unveiled statues of Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The President is on a two-day tour to Gujarat after he arrived in Gandhinagar yesterday.

Later in the evening while addressing the students of Bapu Gujarat Knowledge Village and Samarpan College, the President exhorted the youth to make education meaningful by imbibing the teachings of Gandhi and Vivekanand.