Bilaspur, Oct 6 (IANS) : President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday highlighted the role of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in reducing the financial burden of healthcare for economically vulnerable families, under which eligible beneficiaries receive health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year.
Speaking at the first convocation of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, President Murmu noted that more than Rs 2 lakh crore has been spent on treatment under the scheme that has expanded to more than 50 crore beneficiaries.
She asked stakeholders to endorse that information about these health protection measures reaches people in far flung areas.
The President conferred degrees on the first graduating batch of AIIMS Bilaspur and urged graduates to remain lifelong learners.
President Murmu asked the graduates to keep pace with changing medical practices and health services, while translating research into innovation that improves people’s lives.
“The field of medicine is not just a field of science and technology. It is actually a field of compassion and trust as well,” she said.
She encouraged the graduates to keep the needs of people at the centre of their work, particularly those living in remote and inaccessible areas with limited access to specialised healthcare.
Given the geographical location of AIIMS Bilaspur, she asked the Institute and its graduates to work towards strengthening tertiary healthcare in the region, including through telemedicine, expert consultations, training of medical personnel and the use of modern technology.
Speaking at the occasion, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda highlighted the expansion of medical education in the country in the last 12 years, adding that the number of medical colleges has increased from 384 to more than 800, while undergraduate medical seats have risen from 51,348 to 1.42 lakh.
Addressing the gathering, Nadda shared the Union government’s target of adding 75,000 undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats by 2029, including an allocation of Rs 15,000 crore for the creation of 10,000 additional MBBS and PG seats.
Highlighting the expansion of the AIIMS network under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Nadda noted that while the country had only one AIIMS for several decades, 16 new AIIMS have been established in the last 12 years.
Speaking about AIIMS Bilaspur, Nadda noted that the Institute has expanded beyond its initial target of 750 beds and now has 776 beds, with 26 specialties and 15 super specialties fully functional.
He highlighted the availability of complex surgical procedures, cardiac catheterisation interventions, neurosurgery, comprehensive care, cancer care and radiotherapy services, noting that this progress has been achieved in the last five years.
He also shared that the Institute’s OPD consultations have crossed 12 lakh and IPD admissions have crossed 1 lakh over the last four years.
