Home Minister Rajnath Singh underlined that the Government is attempting to bridge the gap between demand and supply of quality healthcare through PPPs (Public Private Partnerships) keeping in mind the population pressure in the country on Saturday. The Union Minister was speaking at the 44th convocation of the AIIMS where he stressed on the need to improve the quality of care through tertiary, primary and secondary healthcare systems.
The Home Minister said though the Government has successfully overcome many health challenges, there are many that still need to be conquered like malaria. He emphasised on the hygiene, sanitation and cleanliness which play a crucial part in preventing diseases and urged citizens to contribute to the Prime Minister's cleanliness campaign. He said AIIMS, which is a nursery of medical talent, needs to expand to meet the growing needs for medical human resource in the country and added that the expansion plans for the institution have been taken up and are underway.
Addressing the gathering at the convocation, president of the Institution and Health Minister JP Nadda said six AIIMS have already been made operational and 12 new AIIMS are being set up in different parts of the country to set standards of medical education and healthcare at par with the best institutions in the world. Nadda stressed that "Health for all" is a national goal and a priority for the government and the ministry is committed to doubling the capacity of AIIMS, Delhi in next two years.
"Existing premier medical colleges are also being upgraded with top notch infrastructure and facilities. Medical teachers will also be closely involved in policy planning, regulation and enforcement of standards in medical education," Nadda added.
He said, "New solutions in healthcare are inherently complex and cannot be cracked without interdisciplinary expertise. Multi- disciplinary teams are the need of the hour. I would like you to forge research coalitions that span different departments of AIIMS as well as reach out to other centres of excellence and researchers in the country," Nadda added.
He said India faces the dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases unlike many other countries and the Government is moving forward on various internationally mandated health indices. 693 students received their degrees at the event and Nadda also gave away lifetime achievement awards. He also inaugurated the first advanced cardiac Dual Source Dual Energy CT Scanner in India. It is the first of its kind in South Asia and is a versatile equipment for investigating various cardio-vascular diseases.