Equitable access & fairness, and not fiscal gains, must be the touchstone of healthcare – Vice-President
Equitable access & fairness, and not fiscal gains, must be the touchstone of healthcare – Vice-President
The Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today expressed his disapproval of the commercialization of education & healthcare, stressing that equitable access and fairness, and not fiscal gains, must be the touchstone of healthcare. Referring to India’s civilizational ethos of 5000 years, he said that health and education were always taken to be services to the society, giving back to the society, not earning out of it. “Now these two sectors are becoming Industries. I strongly recommend that we get back to our age old values that will do lot of good to our nation and to humanity,” he added.
Addressing the 79th Annual Conference of the Association of Physicians of India (APICON-2024) at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today, VP observed that no profession is as elevated and glorified as medical profession, and called for the highest degree of ethical standards, ever highest next to a lawyer. “Ethical dilution in any profession is painful but ethical dilution in medical profession is unexpectable,” he emphasized.
Shri Dhankhar further said that we need 5-star facilities in hospitals, not just as a source of attraction, what we really need is “5 star services”. Referring to certain questionable practices in vogue in superspeciality hospitals, VP hoped that APICON- 24 will debate those practices and bring reforms that will help the patients & the nation greatly.
Observing that good health is not merely being free from disease or having facilities to treat everyone, VP emphasized that preventive and precautionary mechanism must be our first choice and called for focusing on that.
Mentioning that we are on a marathon march to a developed Bharat@2047, Shri Dhankhar underlined that this will only be possible when we have a fit India and fit India depends on the contributions of our medical professionals.
Describing India as a hub of medical excellence and a fast growing centre of medical tourism, VP urged to ensure the highest degree of professionalism and ethical practices when dealing with patients coming from various countries as this gives us a great soft diplomacy advantage also.
Following is the full text of the Vice President’s speech –
“A physician is always an asset, We must listen to physicians more.In an age of speciality a physician is even more important. He is like a general counsel. We have two things in common – I mean Doctors and Lawyers. You wear white dress and we wear black. Any taint on your dress will show up immediately, We are secured by black colour but another common feature where we are on the same platform – Your books are very heavy and so are ours.
Grateful for this opportunity to reach out to the medical fraternity of Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity. For patients doctor is next to God. We all have felt it 23000 physicians who are your members have potential to affirmatively impact the health sector of the entire nation.
On the occasion of 79th Annual Conference of Association of Physicians of India, APICON I would avail the opportunity to share my thoughts and concerns.
Let me at the outset express a deep sense of gratitude for your exemplary role in combating and containing Covid menace. You are ever in service of humanity.
As the Governor of the state of West Bengal, I had the first hand experience of seeing your dedication,sincerity and total commitment for welfare of humanity and making your profession gloriously proud.
I dare say without fear of contradiction no profession is as respected and in every walk of life in every corner of the globe as medical profession.You risk your lives during COVID to save the lives of others. How many other professions can reclaim to such an outstanding achievement in human behaviour. I salute Doctors,Paramedical Staff,Nurses and Compounders.
We had the toughest challenge of Covid given our large population of 1.3 billion and more then.The world thought India will be shaken to the core as no other country. With your contribution, visionary leadership, our innovation not only we overcame it we helped more than hundred other countries by COVID Maitri.
Friends! While no profession is as elevated as yours. This profession calls for highest decree of ethical standards, ever highest. Next to the lawyers your profession is repository of privacy of the patients. A patient who will not reveal anything to near and dear will unhesitatingly betray his privacy to you. On both the counts, you are heavily obligated to measure up to the highest human standards.
Ethical dilution in any profession is painful but ethical dilution in medical profession is unacceptable. I commend all of you that our doctors, our nurses and compounders have exhibited the highest ethical standards even on global horizons. If there are some transgressions I leave it to your thoughtful process and you must visit them with exemplary consequences because when the vast majority of doctors, nurses and compounders are at the highest platinum level of ethical standards, We cannot allow the fair name of this profession to be tarnished, tainted by miniscule category who create this profession into commerce.
We are in Amrit Kaal, We are on our marathon march to Viksit Bharat@2047. We look to 2047- the centennial year of our Independence as being the developed nation of the world and world leader. This will be possible only when we have Fit India and Fit India depends on your contributions. Nation will be fit when you will be 24X7 engaged in making us fit.
This has to be scripted by your devotion and dedication. You have
great role to play in economic development of the nation because a sick mind, a sick body in spite of talent, commitment, direction, dedication cannot perform.
You are ones who can take care of the nation by variety of reasons. Today, India stands proud as a hub of medical excellence and a fast
growing centre of medical tourism, attracting patients from every corner of the globe in search of cutting-edge treatments and compassionate care.
I know, My own father had to be talent to U.K. for bypass surgery in late 80s. All that we could have in this country at that point of time was Angiogram and that also at a very few places. जैसे कहते हैं,
जो लोग हमको राय देते थे वो लोग आजकल अर्थव्यवस्था में हमसे राय लेते हैं और जहां हम इलाज कराने जाते थे, उन देशों के लोग आज यहाँ आते हैं।
When I look at your name API I immediately remember UPI.An indian product being adopted by already by 7 countries including Singapore and transactions are more than 46% of the global transactions.
In this backdrop, it is of utmost importance that our hospitals are
affordable for the common man, and that medical treatment keeps ethical considerations at its centre.
I’ll not elaborate, We need five star facilities in hospitals. Hospitals cannot be source of attraction because they offer five star facilities. We need five star services. We have to imbibe a culture in them.
There are certain practices in vogue which even at this level we are unable to share. I am sure you will have brainstorming sessions, debate those practices, put that in writing on walls, be vocal about it, bring reform that will help the patient and the nation greatly.
Equitable access and fairness, and not fiscal gains, must be the touchstone of healthcare. How can educational health be commercial.
We live in a society that has a civilisational depth of five thousand years. Health and Education were always taken to be service to the society, giving back to the society, not earning out of it. Now these two sectors have become industry. I strongly recommend that we get back in the old groove that we do a lot of good to the nation and to humanity.
True progress is to be measured not in terms of personal attainments. True progress has to be measured in terms of people centric stance.
To what extent we are in a position to enable that person who is in the last row to have hope in him – that I live in Bharat, I can get the best treatment and it is affordable.
Five star culture be prominently reflected in service delivery. This is non-negotiable.
“True progress is people-centric. No matter how many advances are made in medical science, access must be assured to the last person at the last mile” – PM
In this situation, Ayushman Bharat stands as a beacon of hope, heralding a new era where quality healthcare is not a privilege but a fundamental right for every Indian.
Ayushman Bharat has other advantages also– It has resulted in growth of medical infrastructure. More hospitals even in Tier-2,Tier-3 cities, Paramedical services, Nursing colleges and Diagnostic centers. This is a development because of Ayushman Bharat.
A new ray hope for those who thought, If we were to suffer a disease, Our entire economy will be shattered. We will be in darkness, they are now in focus and in light.
This is possibly the only health insurance scheme in the world which offers the option of seeking insurance cover even for pre-existing diseases as well.
I am before discerning audience, an audience that knows global scenario. I am before the audience that knows what is the state of affairs in health sector in the developed world. You will be happy to note, and you know more than I do. We are far ahead of them.
When we look at their addresses to the nation. We are worried where they are. We are on incremental rise and our rise is unstoppable and our rise will continue.
Affirmative governance and effective policies aimed at strengthening health infrastructure at all levels – primary, secondary and tertiary – to ensure affordability & accessibility.
Go to any part of the country, even in a village the system has been dramatically changed and revolutionised. Facilities are available that we never imagined.
In 1989, I was elected to Parliament, I had the good fortune to be a Union Minister. What I could not dare to dream then, I could not aspire but thanks to the contribution of medical profession, visionary leadership we in a position to claim that we are getting in the mould of being the best in the world.
Just imagine if I take you to statistics, what have we traversed in a challenging terrain.
Within a decade, 79% increase in MBBS seats, 93 % increase PG seats and 23 approved AIIMS, up from 7 a decade ago and this has strengthened, fortified our structured health scenario.
I indicated earlier, gone are the days when first option was to take the patient abroad if you could afford in order to save the life. Now no longer it is the scenario. Now every state of the country can boast of a super-specialty hospital. This was not difficult but virtually impossible to even visualise, now we are getting full benefit of it.
I will come to another aspect because there is another category of patients globally. They look for How strong are you in your medical education, How strong are you with your medical expertise? How strong are your facilities, What is the level of your super-specialty hospitals beyond the name.
emergence of super-specialty facilities that are best in the world. We offer all these premium platinum services at fraction of the cost of western world. Our care has a human touch, Obviously we are a focal attraction to render health service to those people who are outside the country.
This brings me to another collateral issue. Medical Tourism is a champion sector, I’d say it is a sunrise sector. With more than 2 million
patients visiting India each year from abroad, generating $4 billion in
annual forex each year but this is just the tip of the iceberg.Our potential is much more and we can take a quantum jump.
Also my appeal to you is to ensure highest degree of professionalism and ethical practices as how you deal with patients coming from various countries is bound to impact our national image abroad.This gives us a great soft diplomacy advantage also.
Medical fraternity is not only contributing massively for our economic welfare and rise. It is also giving us cutting edge in diplomatic relationships.
Friends! Our vision of good health is being free from disease. Our vision of good health is not that we have facilities to everyone but our vision is that we must contain and combat the growth of diseases. Preventive and precautionary mechanism must be our first choice. We must focus on that.
Massive development of our social infrastructure is thus an important element of achieving Healthy India by pushing the whole-of-the government approach instead of limiting the subject of health to just one Ministry.
The thought process in the country is not isolated but holistic.The thinking of the present leadership is in tune with our population, our demographic element and our demographic dividend which primarily constitutes of youth.
India has a great tradition of preventive and promotive health with
Indian practices such as Yoga and meditation, that have now become
global movements.
Thanks to our Prime Minister, He took Yoga to United Nations. He made an appeal to the community of Nations from the UN platform. Within the shortest time, largest number of countries came together and we now have International Yoga Day. This is a big change that Bharat has brought about.
Steps have been taken by the Government in various fields to promote Medical Tourism. One such is the creation of a new visa category. It has been extremely facilitating but a challenge for the medical fraternity to rise to the occasion and you have the potential capability and competency to converting this challenge of treating foreign nationals by giving them best of medicare and turning it into an opportunity.
This new initiative will help boost medical tourism in India, and will
strengthen their endeavour of making Indian traditional medicine a global phenomenon.
There has to be a greater understanding and congeniality between all forms of medicines. There has been tremendous growth in our country when we had for the first time a new AYUSH Ministry.
In the COVID era, Our traditional medicines were extremely useful.The therapies inherited to us from our ancestors was extremely impactful. I am sure you will work in togetherness.
A big service can be done by medical fraternity to humanity by engaging in prevention of diseases. Among the rising cases of lifestyle diseases, the best category that can counsel people is the Physicians.
Let us not forget the cornerstone of our healthcare ecosystem—the dedicated physicians and healthcare professionals who tirelessly serve on the front lines of patient care.
May all be happy, may all be free from illness.
Thank you. Jai Hind!”