Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asserted that augmenting the healthcare infrastructure is the government’s priority as the nation’s progress accelerates when its citizens are healthier. He added that with this vision, the centre has established five pillars of health policy, prioritizing citizens’ well-being. These are preventive healthcare, timely diagnosis, affordable medicines and treatment, proper healthcare in small towns and villages, and technology expansion in the healthcare sector. Mr Modi was inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of multiple projects related to the health sector worth around 12 thousand 850 crore rupees in New Delhi on the occasion of Dhanvantari Jayanti and 9th Ayurveda Day. Mr Modi underlined that to overcome the despair of the poor, the government introduced the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, where it is bearing the cost of hospitalization of the poor up to five lakh rupees. Reiterating the government’s priority to reduce the cost of treatment, the Prime Minister mentioned the launch of more than 14,000 PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the country where medicines are available at an 80 percent discount. The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of timely diagnosis in reducing the risks and inconveniences associated with illnesses. He highlighted that over two lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been established across the country to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment.
The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of validating traditional herbs through high-impact scientific studies. Underlining that the success of AYUSH is transforming not only the health sector but also the economy, the Prime Minister informed that the AYUSH manufacturing sector has grown from three billion dollars in 2014 to nearly 24 billion dollars today in just 10 years. He added that over 900 AYUSH start-ups are now operational in India, creating new opportunities for the youth.
During the function, the Prime Minister launched the expansion of health coverage to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above as a major addition to the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. This will help provide health coverage to all senior citizens, regardless of their income. Mr Modi also inaugurated Phase II of India’s First All India Institute of Ayurveda. It includes a Panchakarma hospital, an Ayurvedic pharmacy for drug manufacturing, a sports medicine unit, a central library, an IT and start-ups incubation centre and a 500-seat auditorium, among others. He also inaugurated three medical colleges at Mandsaur, Neemuch, and Seoni in Madhya Pradesh. Further, the Prime Minister also inaugurated facility and service extensions at various AIIMS including Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, Kalyani in West Bengal, Patna in Bihar, Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, Guwahati in Assam and in New Delhi, which will also include a Jan Aushadhi Kendra. On the occasion, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated a Super Speciality Block in Government Medical College at Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh and a Critical Care Block in Bargarh, Odisha. The foundation stones of five Nursing Colleges in Shivpuri, Ratlam, Khandwa, Rajgarh and Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh were also laid by the Prime Minister. During the event, he laid the foundation stone of 21 Critical Care Blocks at Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan under Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), and several facilities and service extensions at AIIMS in New Delhi and in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh.
