PM Modi's dream to create healthy, developed India: Health Minister Mandaviya

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream is to create a healthy and developed India in which quality, affordable and accessible medicines, treatment and health facilities are evenly distributed to reach every person in the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday.

Mandaviya made these remarks as he virtually inaugurated a 'Regional Consultative Workshop on Research Priority for Providing Accessible and Affordable Healthcare for the Northeastern States of India'.

Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar and Minister of Health in Meghalaya government Dr Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh were also present at the workshop jointly organised by the Department of Health Research, Union health ministry; Indian Institute of Public Health, Shillong; and Indian Council of Medical Research - Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh.

Addressing the gathering, Mandaviya said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream is to create a healthy India, a developed India, in which every citizen of the country should get quality health facilities on time; health facilities and medicines should become easily affordable, accessible and available; and health facilities should be spread in all geographical areas and have balanced availability." He said the effort of the government is to ensure that everyone gets access to health facilities in an equal manner without any distinction between rich and poor.

"To achieve this objective, the government has worked with policies and various schemes due to which India has created a health model that gives meaning to the spirit of 'Sarva Jan Hitaay, Sarva Jan Sukhaay'," he said.

On the commitment of the Union government to the development of the Northeast region, Mandaviya said in the last 10 years, efforts have been made to bring it into the mainstream of the country by connecting it with all types of connectivity like health, roadways, railways, I-ways, waterways and ropeway.

For the first time in the country, the Northeast region has started to be seen as the growth engine of India. Healthcare today has become accessible and available for this entire region, he said.

"In the last 10 years, institutions like RIMS (Regional Institute of Medical Sciences), RIPANS (Regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences), NEIGRIHMS (Northeastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences) and Assam AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) have been developed and 23 new medical colleges have been opened in the region. ICMR has also developed various health facilities in the region," he further said.

"Today more than 31 crore people have been given Ayushman cards for providing in-hospital treatment under which free family treatment up to Rs 5 lakh is being given annually, 11,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras are open where 50-80 per cent cheaper medicines are available, more than 1.64 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have come up, which are considered as the health gatekeeper of the people of India and complete health surveillance system and One Health Initiative is being implemented from 48 BSL labs," he said.

Mandaviya also highlighted that more than 22 lakh kidney patients in the country have got free dialysis service, about six crore people in the country have received free treatment through PMJAY and pocket expenditure of the total health expenditure of the citizens has reduced from 62.6 per cent to 47.1 per cent.

The Union health minister said the government is working on essential health technology on the lines of essential medicines. These efforts will make health technologies available, accessible, affordable and equitable for all people in the coming times, he added.