New Delhi: Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah presided over the convocation ceremony of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh, today. Present on the occasion were Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harshvardhan, Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri Ramesh Pokhariyal ‘Nishank’ and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat.
While congratulating the fresh graduates, Shri Shah said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has provided young doctors with a special platform in the form of his vision to make India a global leader in healthcare. He advised the graduating doctors to not think merely of their income or posting but aim towards ensuring that India has a world class healthcare system. Commenting on the 360° healthcare ecosystem of AIIMS, he said that AIIMS is not simply a hospital. It is a complete research, training and service providing institute in the field of healthcare. He noted that India is very different today in healthcare, with many new initiatives undertaken under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, and added that it is the task for young doctors to see those initiatives through. He further added that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has envisioned and implemented a universal healthcare system for India.
Noting the significant increase in healthcare infrastructure under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, Shri Shah said that the last six years saw 157 new medical colleges being approved and created. He also said that while in former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpeyee’s term, 6 new AIIMS were established, today 16 more AIIMS are in the works. He said that the Government’s vision is to ensure one AIIMS in every state. He also said that 29,000 new MBBS seats and 17,000 new medical Post Graduate seats have been created in the last 6 years, and Niti Aayog is working on a plan to create 10,000 more PG seats. He said that the aim of the Government is to ensure at least one doctor in every village and one PG doctor at every sub division, and called this an essential condition for India to reach the commanding height of development as envisioned by Prime Minister Modi.
Shri Shah hailed Ayushman Bharat Yojana as the world’s largest health related welfare scheme, including complex tertiary care and called it a major opportunity for doctors. He noted that most states have implemented and some have even extended this scheme. He remarked that more than 91 lakh patients have availed benefits of this scheme for operations. Home Minister said, State Governments are implementing the scheme and making efforts for wider coverage of the population. Speaking on the benefits of Jan Aushadhi Kendra under the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), he said that more than 1 crore families benefit from these centres every month in the form of access to affordable medicines. He said that the Government has ensured drastic reduction in MMR and IMR through institutionalized deliveries and a budget of Rs. 69,000 crore have been earmarked for the same.
Outlining the four components of Prime Minister Modi’s vision for a healthy India, he said that the first part includes preventive aspects like Fit India, Mission Indradhanush and Yoga. The second stage includes provisioning of healthcare in the form of 22 AIIMS and the eventual vision of ensuring one AIIMS per state. The third stage consists of ensuring an adequate number of doctors, and to this end, the Government is working towards establishing one medical college in every parliamentary constituency by 2024. Stage four of the Prime Minister’s healthy India vision comprises the creation of healthcare infrastructure like Ayushman Bharat and PMBJP Yojana.
Shri Shah advised the graduating doctors to always remember that a doctor is akin to God for patients, and emphasized the concept of ‘Service over Self’ as an essential one for the community of healthcare professionals. He said that doctors must stay back in the country and serve the countrymen by strengthening the research base in India. He quoted Swami Vivekananda and emphasized that the true crux of knowledge lies in helping others. He said that Prime Minister Modi has enhanced the scale of our vision and thinking, and that the goal of each doctor should be to uplift the nation in the field of healthcare. Shri Shah expressed confidence that by 2030, India will be number one country in the World in all aspects, be it Medical Education, R&D, Health Infrastructure or availability of treatment and medicines.
