Expressing concern over poor healthcare, mainly in the rural areas of the country, President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday favoured its expansion to ensure equitable and quality services.
He said there was a huge shortfall of nurses and para-medical staff.
“In our country, the healthcare system faces a number of challenges. There is an urgent need to expand physical infrastructure in the health sector in order to ensure equitable and quality healthcare services to all,” the President told graduate and postgraduate students while presiding over the golden jubilee convocation of Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) here.
He called upon the doctors to serve in rural areas. Nearly 75 percent of India's population resides in rural areas, he said. "Therefore, the doctors serving in rural areas are an important aspect, which needs to be looked into collectively by both the centre and state governments."
Underlying the need to prepare more nurses and para-medical staff, he said, "We require more nurses and para-medical staff to serve the huge population of our country."
Mukherjee advised the students to remember what the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi had said about being the change they wanted to see in the world. He also reiterated what Gandhiji had said about thinking about the welfare of the weakest and poorest person in order to arrive at correct decisions.
Delivering the convocation address, Mukherjee also told the students that while entering the new phase of life, they should remember that the skill and knowledge they have acquired over the years will help them overcome future hurdles.
The President gave away 97 MBBS degrees, 87 Post Graduate degrees, 6 PG Diploma and 6 super speciality degrees at the ceremony. He also awarded gold medals to meritorious students.
Governor Acharya Devvrat in his convocation address said that modern medicine needs to inculcate the marvels of holistic healing which goes beyond treating the physical symptoms of the disease and need to incorporate yoga in health care system.He said that we could lead the world in holistic healthcare by combining the marvels of yoga and modern medicine.
He added that medical profession was a noble profession where one gets an opportunity to serve the suffering mankind and said that health professionals should take pride in this noble service to humanity.
Speaking on the occasion, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh appealed to all the graduate and postgraduate students to serve the humanity with compassion, dedication and love without any monetary greed.
He said that it was a matter of pride for any institution to complete along successful journey and celebrate its 50 years of existence.
Singh said IGMC, formed in 1966, is among few medical colleges in north India having facilities for cardiac catheterisation and angiographic services and open heart surgery facility.
Keeping in view thegrowing numbers of patients at IGMC, the Chief Minister informed that a 11-storey OPD block is underconstruction and would be completed by August 10.
He said the IGMC had produced 2,899 graduates and 1,337 postgraduates.