India’s focus not only on healthcare but also on wellness: PM Modi

PM Modi LIVE at post budget webinar on ‘Health and Medical Research’

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought more focus on healthcare globally, but India is a step ahead and also focuses on wellness, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a post-Budget seminar on “Health and Medical Research” on March 6.

It has been a top priority of the government to make high-quality treatment affordable to all, the PM said at the event, while highlighting that beneficiaries managed to save nearly Rs 80,000 crore in treatment costs by availing services under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana.

In the case of serious diseases, the government is trying to make available modern treatment facilities and the Centre has been trying to provide quality testing and treatment services to people close to where they reside, the PM said.

“There is a new healthcare ecosystem being created in the country and it is creating opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors and professionals,” said the PM.

Over the last few years, 260 new medical colleges have been started in the country as a result of which the number of MBBS and PG seats in medicine courses have doubled since 2014, he stressed.

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The PM also said that India’s import dependence on medical devices and pharma sectors needs to be curtailed and for this reason, the government has also been introducing many institutional reforms in these areas.

The address is part of a series of 12 post-budget webinars being organised by the Union government to gather insights, ideas and suggestions for effective implementation of the initiatives announced in the Union Budget 2023-24.

The Union Budget 2023-24 is underpinned by seven priorities, which complement each other, and inclusive development is one of the priorities that include the establishment of 157 new nursing colleges, encouraging public & private medical research in Indian Council of Medical Research labs and pharma innovation & multidisciplinary courses for medical devices, the government has said.