President addresses the 5th Foundation Day Celebrations of a Post Graduate Medical Institute
0The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressed the 5th Foundation Day Celebration of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, here today. He also gave away degrees and awards to the PG toppers of the institute.
Speaking at the occasion, the President said that RML has evolved into a State of Art and Tertiary care hospital. The PGIMER was established 6 years back with 28 PG and 2 Super Specialty seats. Now it has 101 PG seats and 20 Super Specialty seats. He advised the students that this degree is the dividend of the nation's investment in them and their will to serve people must always be unwavering.
The President also said that NRHM was started in 2005 to take healthcare at the doorsteps of rural population. NRHM aims to provide better infrastructure, manpower, modern equipment, etc. to the rural population. He noted that this mission has now been extended to the urban population. The President said that high medical expenses can cause setback in the life of poor people. There is need of health insurance mechanism to work for people during medical emergencies. The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana facility must be comprehensive and made available at primary, secondary and tertiary level, he said.
The President highlighted that technological application has brought silent revolution. The nation requires a technology led health sector. He said that public health expenditure in India is just 1.2% of GDP which is much lower than USA, UK, Norway, Brazil, etc. The expenditure in health sector needs to be increased and quality healthcare services need to be provided to the people, he said. India has 241 medical professionals (including medical, dental and all the streams) for one lakh population at the end of 11th Five Year Plan. It should be 354 by the end of 12th Five Year Plan, he added. Introduction of new medical schemes and augmentation of existing facilities is the prime requirement, the President noted. Medical occupation is associated with piety and is a unique blend of science and humanity, stated the President.
Speaking at the occasion, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad said that India has made substantial progress in building health infrastructure and improving its health indicators over time in terms of substantially reducing MMR, IMR and TFR and a significant increase of 5 years in life expectancy.
Shri Azad highlighted that under the National Health Mission, the public health infrastructure has been strengthened across the country in a mission mode by the Government. More than Rs. 1, 11, 000 crores have been released by Health Ministry to 35 State Governments and UTs over and above their own health budgets resulting in 51,000 small and large hospitals from primary to district levels; 2, 278 Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) in 427 districts; nearly 20,000 ambulances; since May, 2009, 97 new medical colleges, including 6 new AIIMS, have been established raising the number of Medical Colleges from 290 to 387, which is all time high, he said.
The Health Minister stated that in Delhi itself, huge capacity expansion for tertiary care is going on with a second AIIMS campus at Jhajjar and new Surgery, Mother & Child, OPD, Teaching and Hostel Blocks at the main campus at AIIMS; foundation stone for a 1,300 bed super-speciality block at Safdarjung Hospital was laid 4 days ago; a 300 bed state of art emergency centre at RML Hospital has been completed and will be opened soon; and 1,100 beds and new OPD, IPD, Emergency and Hostel Blocks at Lady Hardinge Hospital are under advanced stage of construction.