New Delhi (NVI): Glorifying the progress of government’s flagship health assurance scheme Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana, MoS PMO Jitendra Singh said it is “World’s largest government funded health care program” targeting more than 50 crore beneficiaries.
Addressing the Asia Health- 2019 Conference, Singh said, “Ayushman Bharat is a unique and successful health insurance scheme launched by PM Narendra Modi in 2018, which has benefited over 50 lakh people and the government is taking health care protection to a new aspirational level. It is the “world’s largest government funded health care program” targeting more than 50 crore beneficiaries.”
The minister suggested that in a heterogeneous and dynamic nation like India the fundamental priorities need to be considered while determining the spectrum of healthcare and disease. We can not copy the West or other countries of the world in this connection.
“Though we need qualitative and quantitative changes in the health care sector but we should always keep in mind the disease spectrum and trait of dynamism occurring in India,” he added.
“India is evolving state and the disease and healthcare spectrum should be determined according to it,” he said.
Speaking about the data on health care in India, Singh said, “We need to do much more on it as the disease spectrum has changed a lot since the last 30-40 years. The diseases which were unheard in India in the past have become very much prevalent now a days like heart disease or diabetes etc.”
“Some of the diseases which were confined to some areas or States only are no longer limited to that area, the socio-cultural milieu does not determined the data on health care, therefore need to work on data collection is essential,” he added.
Meanwhile, he also emphasized on the importance of human interface in the healthcare sector, stating, “New technology is needed but there is no alternatives for human interface in the health care.”
“India is a younger nation as 70 per cent of its population is below the age of 40 years who will achieve the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a 5 trillion economy by 2024. And for stopping this young energy of the nation to wither away we have to concentrate on providing good health care system to them,” he said.
While concluding the address, he said, “We have to take care of preventive part of healthcare system in India to get rid of the epidemics of the preventable diseases otherwise these diseases will continue to grow unless we evolve a system targeting the prevention part.”
-sb/ps
