English rendering of PM’s speech on the occasion of K.K. Patel Super Speciality Hospital launch ceremony

Namaskar!

Jai Swaminarayan! How are you my Kutchi brothers and sisters? Is everything well? Today K.K. Patel Super Speciality Hospital is being launched for our service.

My very best wishes to all of you!

Gujarat’s popular, humble and dauntless Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Bhai Patel, Mahant Swami Pujya Dharmanandan Das ji, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya ji, Gujarat Legislative Assembly Speaker Nimaben Acharya, other ministers of Gujarat government, my Parliamentary colleague Shri Vinod Chhabra, other public representatives, revered saints present there, Chairman of the Kutchi Leva Patel Education and Medical Trust Shri Gopalbhai Gorasiya ji, all other trustees, prominent personalities of the society, all the generous donors from across the country and around the world, the medical staff and employees and my dear Kutchi Brothers and Sisters.

Heartiest congratulations to the people of Kutch for such a big event related to health. Congratulations to Gujarat too! Leaving behind the devastation caused by the earthquake, the people of Bhuj and Kutch are now writing a new fortune for this region with their hard work. Today many modern medical services exist in this area. In line with this, Bhuj is getting a modern super speciality hospital today. This is Kutch’s first charitable super speciality hospital. Many congratulations to Kutch for this modern health facility. This 200-bed super speciality hospital is going to provide affordable and best treatment to lakhs of people from Kutch. This is going to come out as a guarantee of best treatment for the families of our soldiers and paramilitary forces as well as for the many people in the business world.

Friends,

Better health facilities are not limited to the treatment of diseases only. They encourage and promote social justice too. When a poor person gets access to cheap and best treatment, then his faith in the system gets stronger. If the poor gets freedom from the worry of the cost of treatment, then he works harder to get out of poverty with ease. This very thinking is the inspiration for all the schemes implemented in the health sector during the previous years. Crores of rupees are being saved every year in the treatment of poor and middle class families due to Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Jan Aushadhi Yojana. Health and wellness centres, campaigns such as Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Scheme are helping to make treatment accessible to all.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission will further increase the facilities for the patients. Modern and critical healthcare infrastructure is being extended to the district and block levels through the Ayushman Health Infrastructure Mission. Today, besides dozens of AIIMS, many super speciality hospitals are also being built in the country. Whether it is the goal of building a medical college in every district of the country or an effort to make medical education accessible to all, the country is going to get a record number of new doctors in the coming ten years.

And Kutch certainly is going to benefit from this. Gopalbhai was telling me that I had said from the ramparts of Red Fort that everyone should contribute something in the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and today that resolution is being fulfilled. And for that, this sense of duty, feeling of loyalty towards the society and the spirit of goodwill towards the society is one’s greatest asset; and this is what Kutch is known for. Wherever you go, if you say kutchi, no one will ask which village you belong to or which caste you belong to. Immediately a feeling of brotherhood develops for you. This is the speciality of Kutch. With this initiative, you are establishing your identity and discharging your duty towards Kutch. As Bhupendrabhai said – ‘This is the most beloved district of the Prime Minister’. Actually, when someone stands by the people   during a crisis, that relationship becomes unbreakable. And the painful situation caused by the earthquake in Kutch led to my close relationship with you. Neither can I leave Kutch, nor can Kutch leave me ever. Very few people get such a privilege in public life, and it is a matter of pride for me. Today Gujarat is making all round progress.

The matter of developing Gujarat is taken into account not only in Gujarat but also in the entire country. Just imagine, two decades ago there were only 9 medical colleges in Gujarat. If only the youth of Gujarat wanted to become doctors, then there were only 1100 seats. Today there is an AIIMS, and there are more than three dozen medical colleges. Two decades ago only about 1000 students used to get seats whereas today it is possible for about 6000 students to become doctors. In 2021, AIIMS was started in Rajkot with 50 seats. The upgradation work of Medical Colleges in Ahmedabad and Rajkot is underway. The upgradation work of Bhavnagar Medical College is almost complete. There is a 1500 bedded Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad and from my point of view this is a commendable job. An amazing system of healthcare has been developed here for the Mother and child. There is also a separate hospital of 800 beds for streams like cardiology and even research work can be done there. Cancer research work is also going on in a big way in Gujarat. We urgently required the dialysis facility in the entire country for the kidney patients. Just imagine the condition of a person who needed dialysis twice a week but was not able to get it done even twice a month. Today we have started free dialysis service in various districts. So in a way, a lot of work is going on at a massive scale.

 

But I have something to say to you, brothers and sisters. This is ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. No matter how many hospitals we build, how many new beds are added, but it can never solve the problem. But we must create such awareness in the society, follow our duties and create such an environment that we do not have to go to any hospital in the first place. The solution to all the problems is not having the need to go to the hospital. Today a very beautiful hospital is being inaugurated. But what should my wish for you all? I wish that even though KK Patel Charitable Trust has invested so many crores to build this grand hospital but hopefully no one finds the need to visit the hospital and I wish the hospital remains empty. We must expect to see such days. And when could the hospital remain empty? It is possible if we pay attention to cleanliness. There should be a strong desire among the people to ensure cleanliness; there should not be any trace of dirt anywhere whether outside or inside the house. There should be an aversion towards dirt. If such an environment is created, then definitely there is hardly any chance of contracting a disease. Similarly, campaigns were run for ensuring pure drinking water cleanliness, building toilets, and to make the society open defecation free in the country; and the society supported everything. And everyone knows that we started winning the battle against Corona because if the basic foundation of our body is strong then the battle can be easily won. Such a big crisis had shaken us, yet we are fighting because Corona has not left us yet. We must not make mistakes. The work for providing tap water through Jal Jeevan Mission is going on all over the country. If you get pure drinking water, your nutrition intake should also be good. If you keep eating junk food, filling your stomachs with the junk just like one dumps letters in the post office, then neither the body nor your health can benefit. The doctors are smiling listening to my words. Even our scriptures say that the regularity in the diet, the amount of restraint while eating is of great importance. And you have read this, Acharya Vinoba ji had once said that fasting is easy, you can fast with great ease but it is difficult to eat with restraint. If you are sitting at the table and there are various dishes, then automatically one can lose control.

Now one of the major concerns today is obesity. Now please don’t feel embarrassed if you are overweight. Diabetes is pervading every household. And diabetes itself is such a disease which invites even different kinds of diseases. Now we might need to visit the KK hospital. But if we want to avoid diabetes, then we must go for a walk in the morning. Isn’t it? Whatever we do, if the basic health is good, it will not let us go to the hospital. Similarly, through International Yoga Day, we are campaigning for Yoga all over the world. The whole world has embraced yoga. This time you must have seen, almost the entire world had pinned its hopes on yoga and our Ayurveda during the corona pandemic. Each country has something or the other from our country; turmeric has become the most exported item from India. During the pandemic, the people around the world had come to know that the herbs of India are beneficial for health but if we stop using it then the purpose is defeated. I want to ask the people of my Kutch that this time on the International Yoga Day in the month of June; can Kutch make a world record? Can big Yoga-related events be held in Kutch? Still one and a half to two months are left for the event. Work so hard that we have the best yoga programme. You will see that there will never be any need to go to any hospital. And I wish no one ever has the need to visit the KK hospital. May you fulfil my wish and stay healthy. Yes, if there is an accident, it is not in your hands but I feel we should consider doing all these things proactively.

Now as I am with my brothers of Kutch, it is within my rights to ask for something; and you will have to give it to me. See, my Kutchi brothers are residing in several countries around the world. People from all over the country have started coming here on their own to be a part of our Kutch festival. The splendour of Kutch is rising; the economy of Kutch is growing. More importantly, hospitality of Kutch is being praised all over India. The people have started saying ‘Kutch means Kutch’. Now tell me how would you feel if foreign guests are not visible in the Kutch Rann Utsav for which so much effort is put by the government and such kind of hospitality is shown by the people of Kutch that is hailed everywhere? The people who come for health tourism, we have hospitals for them but what if they come solely for tourism? So, we need to start it. This is my request to the brothers of Kutch; especially the brothers of our Leva Patel community as they are spread in India as well as around the world. You need to do it every year, so keep account of that and Gopalbhai is pretty good with accounting. I am sure he will do this. I request all of you that every year every Kutch family residing abroad should send at least five foreign nationals here to see our Rann of Kutch. Don’t you think if this is done then Rann of Kutch will look complete? And Kutch will get recognition in the true sense around the world. This is not a big deal. You are such people who have never forgotten their roots. If you fall ill in a foreign land, they say, spending a week in Kutch’s Bhuj, or being in that environment will cure everything. This is our love for Kutch. So, if this is our love for Kutch, we must bring 5 foreign nationals, not Indians, to the Rann of Kutch. You must send them this year in the month of December. Secondly, such a big tribute was paid to Sardar Patel Saheb after so many years of independence. Are you proud of the Sardar Saheb’s monument or not? You keep on praising me that Modi saheb has done a very good job. You keep appreciating the Gujarat government for its good work. But the matter does not end there.

Brothers, it is my wish to see that the 5 people who would come from all over the world to the Rann of Kutch should also visit the Statue of Unity. You will see, there will be a lot of development in the tourism sector of Gujarat and tourism is such a business that provides employment to the poor people. Minimum capital cost gives maximum profit. You have seen in the Rann of Kutch that the work of twelve months is accomplished in just two months by creating and selling even a very small thing. When a tourist comes, the rickshaw puller earns, the taxi driver earns and the tea seller also earns. That’s why I request all of you to contribute in making Kutch a big hub of tourism. And for this reason, I request my kutchi brothers and sisters living abroad to decide that every family would tell 5 people every time and urge them to visit India. You can tell them how they can come here, where to go, the kind of hospitality they will get, and so on. And I say with 100 per cent confidence that now India has attracted people for tourism. A lot of tourists had started coming here before Corona, but due to Corona, it had stopped. But it has started again, and if you help me, then you will be hailed everywhere. And I want you to make it work. One more thing; our Maldhari brothers stay in Kutch for two to four months and then move with their livestock for six to eight months. They walk for miles. Does it befit our Kutch? There was an era when you had to leave Kutch. Why did you have to leave Kutch? It became difficult to live in Kutch due to lack of water. Such a situation had arisen that even the children were in pain. That’s why by working hard, they earned a living. They did not beg before anyone and instead became capable and independent. Wherever they went, they worked for the welfare of the society. Some were running a school, some a cowshed; but wherever a Kutchi goes, he does some good work. Now that you work so hard, I have a request especially to the Maldharis. In earlier times you used to be on the move with your animals. That was okay. But now there is no water scarcity in Kutch.

Now Kutch has greenery too. Now cumin is grown here in Kutch. It feels good to hear that cumin is grown in Kutch. Mangoes of Kutch are exported abroad; it feels so good. Our Kutch has popularized Kamalam. We also have dates and what not. But despite all this if our Maldhari Brothers are leading a nomadic life, I feel difficult to accept that. Now there is fodder too. We need to lead a settled life. Now there is dairy as well. You have a bright future. That’s why I request you to talk to your maldhari brothers and make them understand that they need to stop their nomadic lives with animals and instead settle here. You have no problem here. You live here and educate your children, because the children of nomadic people are not getting education and I am pained by this. I need your help in this and I hope you would do this important task. We have asked to make 75 ponds in each district during the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. The kind of water we get in Kutch can fill a pond in two to three years. Sometimes it can take five years. Many times I have seen that after a child is born, he does not get to see the rain until he is four. The people of our Kutch region have seen such days. So, I request all of you if you could make 75 grand ponds inside Kutch. And for this, I seek the assistance of the kutchi people spread across India. You live in rainfall abundant places like Mumbai, Kerala, Assam in large numbers. You are no less. Kachhi brothers have reached more than half the districts of India. 75 ponds is the goal. If there is a Kutchi society in Chhattisgarh, it could maintain, say, one pond; if there is a Kutchi society in Mumbai, then it could take care of 5 ponds, and the pond should not be small. The pond should be so deep that even 50 trucks of our Nimaben, if put inside, should not be visible. You will see that gradually water will be collected there, even if it takes two or three years or gets filled by a few inches every year. Yet when the pond is filled completely, it will become a massive power of Kutch. And more than what I did for Kutch, Kutch has done a lot more by just listening to my words. And when you work more, you feel like working more. If you didn’t take any initiative then I would have ended my speech with a few words and left. But you are action takers. That’s why I feel like saying. And that’s why I request all of you to take our duty-driven Kutch to a new height and be it tourism or water conservation, it should be known for these aspects around the world. Be it a native Kutchi or a kutchi living in any corner of India; come, let us all fulfil our duty with the fast pace with which we have taken Gujarat forward under the leadership of Bhupendra bhai.

This is my wish. Jai Swaminarayan to all and my very best wishes!

 

Thanks!

 

Disclaimer: This is a translation of the Prime Minister’s address. The original speech is in Hindi and Gujarati languages.

 

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DS/ST/IG