The Government doubled the budget for the health sector this year to more than ₹2-lakh crore and allocated ₹15,000 crore to tackle the first wave of the Covid pandemic, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday on the occasion of National Doctors’ Day.
Also, ₹50,000 crore has been provided under the credit guarantee scheme to develop healthcare infrastructure in under-served areas.
“New AIIMS medical colleges are being established. Work has been initiated on 15 AIIMS as opposed to the total six AIIMS that existed in 2014. The number of medical colleges and undergraduate seats in medicine has increased one and half times and post graduate seats have gone up by 80 per cent,” he said.
‘Protecting doctors’
Modi added that stringent laws have been brought in to prevent violence against doctors, along with this, a free insurance cover scheme has also been brought for the Covid warriors.
He appreciated the efforts of doctors during the pandemic and paid homage to those who lost their lives in the service of humanity.
“Our doctors are facing this new and fast mutating virus on the basis of their experience and expertise. Despite the limitations of long-neglected medical infrastructure and pressure of population, India’s per lakh population rate of infection and death rate is still manageable compared to even developed countries,” Modi said while further adding that the loss of lives is always painful, but many lives have been saved too. The credit for saving lives goes to doctors, healthcare and frontline workers.
Modi also urged the medical fraternity to motivate people to take vaccination to fight against the coronavirus pandemic. He also appreciated their contribution in creating awareness about yoga among common people. “Work for propagating Yoga, that should have been done in the last century after Independence, is being done now,” said the Prime Minister.