The need for a holistic approach towards comprehensive healthcare was the crux of Shri Narendra Modi’s address at the conference on ‘Healthy Gujarat ‘Agenda for Action’. Conducted at Mahatma Mandir on December 3, the conference, which focused on charting a progressive approach for the medical spectrum, had Shri Modi highlighting the significance of an inclusive approach to facilitate the reach of better healthcare services to the rural and urban population of Gujarat.
Stating that singular approaches would not suffice in giving desired results, Shri Modi urged the medical fraternity of the state to come together, whilst encouraging all government departments to unite in the direction of providing holistic and comprehensive medical services. “Our goal is to have a ‘Swastha Samaj’, which promises good health to its residents. Our effort is aimed at collaborating with all government departments, charting a roadmap for further action, resource mobilization, and ensuring optimum utilization of human capital, to achieve the desired results. Only if this happens, will the State be able to take a quantum jump in the healthcare sector,” said Shri Modi.
Citing the example of preventive healthcare wherein the aspect of cleanliness assumes supreme significance, Shri Modi stressed that all efforts to ensure impediment of diseases will go in vain if a particular department does not follow the required cleanliness standards. “Strength comes from uniting, and my effort is focused at eliminating the discrepancy arising in collaboration. In the context of health, we need to sensitize all departments, initiate coordination, facilitate cooperation and make them proactive,” said Shri Modi.
Underscoring Mahatma Gandhi’s emphasis on cleanliness, Shri Modi encouraged the medical fraternity to focus on achieving the status of - ‘Swachch Gujarat, Nirmal Gujarat’. “Let us affirm that when we celebrate Gandhiji's 150th birth anniversary, we will have a movement for a clean Gujarat. The medical fraternity of Gujarat needs to dedicate atleast one hour every week and take an initiative at raising awareness on social and personal hygiene by conducting classes in schools and rural areas. As important as personal hygiene is social hygiene. We need to create an atmosphere for awareness on both. Improvement in urban health could also be brought upon by individual initiatives, whereby doctors from across the state come together once in a month, and discuss about the disease patterns in their region. This step will go a long way in preventing the breakout of epidemics, as timely intervention and coordination with various departments could be facilitated.”
“My focus is not merely a beautiful city, but a city that’s made beautiful on the parameters of good health and cleanliness,” stressed Shri Modi, while calling upon the members of the healthcare segment to collaborate and create a healthier society by the year 2022, when the Nation will celebrate 75 years of freedom. Shri Modi also mentioned about the need to avail the benefits of the ‘Mukhyamantri Amrutam Yojana’.
Stating the current-day relevance of technology intervention in the healthcare segment, Shri Modi spoke about the need to train the medical fraternity, and proposed the provision of a personal e-library to medicos and hospitals, so as to facilitate easy and quick access to the latest updates on healthcare, globally. He underlined the need for knowledge dissemination by the State’s renowned doctors, whilst underscoring the importance of providing prompt medical services.
Declaring the quantum rise in the State’s budget for healthcare, Shri Modi said that lack of funds should never be a concern for the fraternity since nearly Rs. 5500-5600 crores has been allotted in the current year, as opposed to Rs. 1200-1300 crore allotted in 2007-08.
Encouraging the medical fraternity, across the village, district and city levels, to unite, Shri Modi concluded by emphasizing on the need to make Gujarat shine on the healthcare spectrum, in the coming years.
Shri Nitinbhai Patel, Minister for Health and Family welfare, Government of Gujarat, Shri Parbatbhai Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Nata Menabde, Representative to India, WHO, Dr Genevieve Begkoyian, Chief of Health, UNICEF, India country office and Prof. K Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India, were among the dignitaries who graced the occasion.
