Trust in country’s health sector increased during pandemic: PM
NEW DELHI: Like several other sectors, India is now preparing to be aatmanirbhar, or self-reliant, in the health sector with focus on the public private partnership model to deal with health emergencies in a better way and improve access to health care for all, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday.
The prestige of India’s health sector and trust in it has increased manifold across the globe after it successfully overcame the “trial by fire” during the Covid-19 pandemic, he added, addressing a webinar on effective implementation of the Union Budget’s provisions in the health sector.
“The amount allocated for the health sector in this year’s budget has been unprecedented, and is an attempt to provide better health care services to every citizen of this country. Last one year in a way has been an “agnipar
eeksha (trial by fire)” for the country and particularly for the health sector, but I am happy to announce that India managed to pass the test successfully...,” Modi said.
He added that India “managed to save lives” and create a testing infrastructure in a few months, with currently 2,500 labs active for Covid-19 testing. Modi also said the successful handling of Covid-19 had been possible because of the collaboration between the government and the private sector.
“Covid-19 has taught us that we don’t have to just fight this pandemic, but also have to be prepared to handle such epidemics in future too. We have to keep India ready for any eventuality, which is why it is equally important to strengthen the health sector,” he said.
“From medical equipment to medicines, from ventilators to vaccines...from doctors to epidemiologists, we have to pay attention to all so that the country is better prepared for any health disaster in future,” he added.
This is the inspiration behind the PM Aatmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Scheme, under which it has been decided that a modern ecosystem would be developed from research to testing and treatment in the country itself, Modi said.
The government has proposed a budget outlay of ₹223,846 crore for health and well-being in 2021-2022.