Amit Shah, Home Minister
Amit Shah, Home Minister, said the Indian Medical Association’s focus must shift from illness to wellness as the core concept. Along with medicines, greater emphasis should be placed on providing advice and guidance for a healthy lifestyle. IMA could take steps to make maximum use of the services of existing doctors through video conferencing and telemedicine
Ahemedabad: Amit Shah, Home Minister, said along with additional schemes of some states, Ayushman Bharat Mission, under which free treatment of up to ₹5 lakh has been provided to the poor across India, free treatment of up to ₹15 lakh is being provided in about 70 percent of the country.
Shah was addressesing the Indian Medical Association’s National Conference- IMA Natcon 2025- in Ahmedabad today.
Shah said that the IMA must now move forward in line with the country’s current needs. For this, the focus must shift from illness to wellness as the core concept. Along with medicines, greater emphasis should be placed on providing advice and guidance for a healthy lifestyle. New doctors should be encouraged in this direction. He said that the importance of Ayushman Bharat and generic medicine stores should not be underestimated.
Shah said that it should be deliberated upon what the role of the IMA should be if the country is to be guided towards affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare.
He also asked whether the IMA could take steps to make maximum use of the services of existing doctors through video conferencing and telemedicine.
Home Minister said that in 2013–14, the Centre’s health budget was only ₹37 thousandcrore, whereas today it has increased to ₹1.28 lakh crore—an increase of 102 percent—and that the schemes have not remained on paper but have been implemented on the ground.
He said that 1.81 lakh Ayushman Bharat Health Centres have proved to be a boon for the poor.
Ayushman Bharat, Mission Indradhanush, a 97 per cent reduction in malaria, more than 90 per cent improvement in kala-azar, a reduction in dengue mortality to 1per cent, a 25 per cent decline in the maternal mortality rate, a 20 per cent increase in institutional deliveries, and the halving of the infant mortality rate—all this has been possible because the schemes have not merely been announced but effectively implemented, observed Shah.
He further said that the Ayushman Bharat Mission has brought about a qualitative transformation in India’s health sector.A large network of affordable generic medicines was also launched, and insurance was made cheaper by removing GST.
Through Mission Indradhanush, the Government of India launched an immunization campaign that has helped protect children from various diseases from their early years.
He said that ₹1.65 lakh crore has been invested in strengthening the infrastructure of Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs).