PM addresses doctors on National Doctors’ Day

Published By : Admin | July 1, 2021 | 15:00 IST
Pays tribute to the services and sacrifices of doctors during pandemic
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Calls for evidence-based studies on benefits of yoga
Stresses the importance of documentation, Covid pandemic can be a good starting point for detailed documentation

 The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the doctor community on Doctors’ Day today. He said this day, celebrated in the memory of Doctor BC Roy, is the symbol of the highest ideals of our medical fraternity. He thanked the Doctors on behalf of 130 crore Indians for their services during the difficult times in last one and half years of the pandemic. He was addressing an event organized by Indian Medical Association via video conference today.

Acknowledging the doctor’s contribution, the Prime Minister recalled their heroic efforts during the pandemic and paid homage to those who laid down their lives in the service of humanity. The Prime Minister said that our scientists and doctors have found solutions for all the challenges thrown by Corona. Our doctors are facing this new and fast mutating virus on the basis of their experience and expertise. Despite the limitations of long-neglected medical infrastructure and pressure of population, India’s per lakh population rate of infection and death rate is still manageable compared to even developed countries. Loss of lives is always painful but many lives have been saved too. Credit goes to hard-working doctors, healthcare workers, frontline workers for saving many lives, said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister underlined the focus of the government on strengthening healthcare. During the ‘first wave’ about 15 thousand crores were allocated for healthcare and this year, health sector budget has been doubled to more than 2 lakh crore rupees. Rs 50 thousand crore have been allocated for credit guarantee scheme to develop health infrastructure in the under-served area. New AIIMS, medical colleges are being established. Work has been initiated on 15 AIIMS as opposed to total six AIIMS that existed in 2014.

Number of Medical colleges have increased one and half times. Under graduate medical seats have increased one and half times and PG seats have grown by 80 per cent, informed the Prime Minister.

Shri Modi reiterated the Government’s commitment for the safty of doctors. He mentioned stringent laws that have been brought in for preventing violence against doctors. Along with this, a free insurance cover scheme has been brought for the Covid warriors.

The Prime Minister called upon the doctors to continue to inspire the people to get vaccinated and adopt Covid appropriate behavior. He also commended medical fraternity for spreading awareness about Yoga. Work for propagating Yoga, that should have been done in the last century after Independence, is being done now, said the Prime Minister. He praised the doctors for giving their time to the evidence-based studies on the benefits of yoga for dealing with post-Covid complications. The Prime Minister asked if IMA can take up the evidence-based studies on yoga in a mission mode. He also suggested that studies on yoga could be published in international journals.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of documentation of experiences by doctors. Along with the experiences, symptoms of the patients and treatment plan needs to be documented in great details. This can be taken up as a research study where effects of various medicines and treatments are noted. Shri Modi said that sheer number of patients served by our doctors put them ahead of the world. Now is the time when the world takes cognizance and take benefit from these scientific studies. Covid pandemic can be a good starting point for this. The Prime Minister wondered if we could study more deeply how vaccines are helping us, how early diagnosis helps. There is no documentation available about the last century’s pandemic but now we have technology and our documentation about how we faced Covid will help the humanity, concluded the Prime Minister.

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Fulfilling public aspirations is the core objective of this budget and the resolution of this government: PM Modi
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Friends,

In this series of post-budget webinars, today marks the fourth and most significant one. Fulfilling aspirations of people is not merely a subject of discussion-it is the core objective of this budget and the firm resolve of this government. Education, Skill, Health, Tourism, Sports, and Culture are fundamental sectors that serve as the major means of fulfilling these aspirations. Therefore, in this webinar, we are deliberating on these crucial dimensions. For the implementation of budget announcements, the thoughts and suggestions of all experts, policymakers, scholars, entrepreneurs, and my young companions present here are extremely important. I warmly welcome and greet you all in this fourth session of the budget webinar.

Friends,

India today is working on a vast vision for preventive and holistic health. In recent years, the country’s health infrastructure has been strengthened, with hundreds of new medical colleges opening across districts. Through the Ayushman Bharat scheme and wellness centers, healthcare services have expanded to villages nationwide. Our yoga and Ayurveda are gaining popularity across the world. You will certainly discuss various aspects of this, but I would like to highlight one important subject-the care economy. In the coming decade, the number of senior citizens in the country will rise rapidly. Moreover, even today, many countries across the world face a huge demand for caregivers. Therefore, in the health sector, new skill-based employment opportunities are emerging for millions of youth. I urge the health sector experts present in this webinar to suggest new training models and partnerships so that the training ecosystem in the country can be further strengthened.

Friends,

Closely related to this is the subject of telemedicine. Today, a large number of people in remote areas are benefiting from it, and trust in it is steadily growing. However, I believe there is still a great need to increase awareness and ease of access in this area.

Friends,

Over the past decade, a major transformation has taken place in the mindset of the country. Today, beyond the boundaries of villages, towns, and cities, every young Indian wants to do something new, driven by the spirit to achieve. This new mindset of the new generation is the nation’s greatest strength, its most valuable capital for a bright future. To capitalize on this, we must continuously modernize and upgrade our education system. The new education policy has laid the necessary foundation for this. Now, it is essential that our curriculum remains updated according to market needs! We must accelerate the process of linking our education system with the real-world economy. We need to place greater focus on subjects like AI and automation, digital economy, and design-driven manufacturing.

Friends,

The country is consistently working to connect education with employment and enterprise. New models like university townships reflect this approach. Today, India is promoting the A.V.G.C. sector-Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics. India is moving towards an innovation-driven economy. Many academicians and academic institutions are connected to this webinar today. I urge you to deliberate on developing your campuses as centers of industry collaboration and research-driven learning. This will provide students with real-world exposure and strengthen the skill ecosystem.

Friends,

A very important subject is STEM-Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It is a matter of great pride that the number of daughters showing interest in STEM subjects is steadily increasing in our country. As we prepare for futuristic technologies, it is crucial that no daughter is held back due to lack of opportunities. In this webinar, you must discuss this direction. We need to place greater emphasis on increasing women’s participation. We must build a research ecosystem where young researchers have full opportunities to experiment and work on new ideas.

Friends,

Youth power becomes national power only when it is healthy, disciplined, and full of self-confidence. That is why, in recent years, sports have been seen as an important stream of national development. Initiatives like Khelo India have infused new energy into the sports ecosystem of the country. Sports infrastructure is being strengthened across the nation. In this webinar, you must deliberate on some key questions: How can talent be identified more accurately even from small towns and villages? How can structured financial support for thousands of athletes be improved? And thirdly, how can our sports bodies be made more professional? In the coming years, the Commonwealth Games will be held in India, and the country is striving to host the Olympics. In such a scenario, we must identify young athletes at an early age and nurture them, only then will India be able to raise its flag high in international competitions.

Friends,

Tourism and culture play a major role in creating new employment opportunities. When tourism grows in a place, the branding of that location or city also increases. This accelerates the overall development of that city. India has no shortage of historical sites. But for a long time, tourism remained confined to a few select destinations. Now, we are focusing on developing tourist destinations across every corner of the country.

Friends,

In this webinar, you must discuss a holistic approach to strengthening India’s tourism ecosystem. Your suggestions on trained guides, hospitality skills, digital connectivity, community participation, cleanliness, tourism, and related subjects will be very important.

Friends,

When institutions, industry, and academia work together, the pace of transformation accelerates. I am confident that this series of post-budget webinars will provide concrete direction for the future. Such efforts will further strengthen the foundation of a developed India. And friends, it is a very pleasant experience that due to the tradition of webinars, after the budget and especially during implementation, I have been told that this year, lakhs of people connected to these subjects-experts, beneficiaries, and those involved in the system-have actively participated in the webinars. Our officials have informed me that excellent and practical suggestions are coming in. This means not only solutions to problems but also new energy and new momentum to move forward with confidence. I say this is a very delightful experience of the webinars. All those who participated in these webinars are worthy of appreciation and gratitude. Once again, I extend my best wishes and heartfelt thanks to all of you.

Namaskar!