Healthcare systems need to be continuously strengthened to ensure resilience in face pandemic: Mandaviya

New Delhi: Healthcare systems need to be continuously strengthened to ensure their resilience in the face of a pandemic, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Sunday.

He also stressed on harnessing the ability to provide affordability and accessibility of healthcare services in the innermost areas of the country.

Mandaviya on Sunday laid the foundation stones and inaugurated various health infrastructure projects under the Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), the National Health Mission (NHM) and the XV Finance Commission Health Grants in Assam.

He also delivered a keynote address on 'Transformation of Healthcare in Amrit Kaal' while chairing the Amrit Kaal Vimarsh Viksit Bharat @2047 Development Dialogue. Reiterating the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mandaviya said that "a healthy society builds a healthy nation which lays the foundation for a prosperous country".

"India is striving towards developing a substantial ecosystem that imbibes excellence and harnesses the potential of its manpower to build healthcare systems with fortitude to tackle any health emergency," he said.

The Union minister said that such relentless pursuit led to the inception of PM-ABHIM.

Mandaviya lauded the healthcare development initiatives in Assam and said, "We need to make healthcare affordable and accessible through holistic development of robust healthcare infrastructure while prioritising research and development and initiatives such as 'Heal in India, Heal by India'".

The Union minister said that healthcare infrastructure should consolidate integration at the block, district and regional levels to monitor the surveillance of any new variant or disease entering the nation.

Mandaviya said, "India has its own model of health that is congruent to its needs, strengths and abilities." He added that different from other nations, India has a four-tier healthcare system that functions from the grassroots level to the primary to the secondary to the tertiary level. In this institutes such as 1,66,000 Health and Wellness Centres are spread across rural and urban areas, the minister said.

They have a host of healthcare services and also work to connect the under-served with secondary and tertiary level consultations at their respective locations, Mandaviya said. This saves a patient's time and money and provides services and care with ease at affordable rates, he said.

During his keynote address, the Union health minister highlighted the government's commitment and resolve to empower the youth, and urged them to leverage existing grants and schemes to innovate and add their contribution in building a healthier nation.

He said India's also extends opportunities to its skilled health workforce to pursue global prospects and cited examples of medical colleges in Assam teaching Japanese to facilitate placements abroad.