Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 29 launched, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple projects related to the health sector worth around Rs 12,850 crore at All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in the national capital as part of the celebration of Dhanvantari Jayanti and 9th Ayurveda Day.
PM Modi said the “amalgamation of knowledge of Ayurveda with Modern medicine” has brought a new chapter in the health sector in the last 10 years.
“India is looking at the health sector as holistic health,” PM Modi said while outlining the five pillars of health policy — preventive healthcare, early detection of ailments, free and low-cost treatment and medicines, availability of doctors in small towns and lastly expansion of technology in health services.
The healthcare projects worth Rs 12,850 crore include four centres of excellence under the Ayush Health Scheme, expansion of health services with the use of drones, helicopter service in AIIMS-Rishikesh, new infrastructure in AIIMS-New Delhi and AIIMS-Bilaspur, expansion of services in five other AIIMS in the country, establishment of medical colleges, ‘bhoomi pujan’ of nursing colleges and other projects related to the health sector.
Inaugurating pharma units, PM Modi said, “These would play a key role in the manufacturing of advanced medicine and high-quality stents and implants and further India’s growth.”
On the flagship Ayushman Bharat Yojana scheme, he noted that “about four crore poor people in the country have benefited by getting treated without having to pay a single rupee.” He added that the scheme has now been expanded to cover healthcare expenses of elderly above 70 years of age, which will also reduce a family’s out-of-pocket expenditure for healthcare.
