Nadda: Affordable healthcare for poor Centre’s priority

Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Tuesday said providing affordable and quality healthcare to every poor person in the country was a priority for the Central Government.

Speaking at the convocation ceremony of AIIMS Rishikesh, Nadda said the Centre was focused on providing healthcare that is not only curative, but also preventive, palliative and rehabilitative.

“In the last 10 years, there has been a 101 per cent increase in the number of medical colleges, taking the total to 780 across the country. There has also been a 130 per cent increase in MBBS seats, and 138 per cent in PG seats in this period,” said the Health Minister.

Similarly, to cater to the paramedics, 157 nursing colleges are being established that would be co-located with the medical colleges, he added.

Nadda stated that till the advent of this century, India only had one AIIMS. Today, 22 AIIMS are operational in the country, he said.

Emphasising that the government was spending between Rs 30-35 lakh on each MBBS student, he urged new doctors to shoulder more responsibilities as they embark on their professional careers.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said India’s healthcare sector had seen a significant uplift in the last decade with the launch of initiatives like the Ayushman Bharat and establishment of new AIIMS and medical colleges.

He highlighted that more than 5,000 gram panchayats in the state were TB free.

Stressing the role of AIIMS-Rishikesh in providing quality and affordable healthcare services to people across the state, Dhami noted that the institute was providing advanced medical treatment like robotic surgery, neurosurgery and radiation therapy to patients.