New Delhi, March 5 Establishing day-care cancer centres and ramping up digital health infrastructure can ensure that quality care reaches the last mile, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
Speaking at a post-budget webinar held via video conferencing today, the Prime Minister stressed the need to implement health initiatives announced in the Union Budget to ensure that the benefits reach the maximum number of people.
“The establishment of daycare cancer centers and the development of digital healthcare infrastructure will ensure quality healthcare reaches the last mile,” the PM said.
In the Union Budget, the Finance Minister had announced that “all district hospitals will have day care cancer centres. About 200 day care cancer centres will be established in 2025-26".
Further, PM Modi noted that “telemedicine facility is being expanded in all primary health centres (PHCs)”.
As per the health ministry data, more than 31,000 PHCs are operational in the country, employing over 40,000 doctors/medical officers to provide primary care to people in rural and hilly, tribal, and desert areas.
PM Modi also mentioned that the addition of 10,000 new medical seats in this budget and a target of adding 75,000 seats in the medical field over the next five years “has been set”.
“These initiatives will have a transformative impact on people's lives,” he said, adding that it will also “create numerous new employment opportunities for youth”.
The Prime Minister also stressed that initiatives like 'Heal in India', proposed in the Union Budget, will boost medical tourism in the country,
“Efforts are being made to establish India as a global tourism and wellness hub,” he said, while urging stakeholders in the health sector to invest in promoting health tourism.
PM Modi also highlighted the “need to fully utilise the potential of yoga and wellness tourism”.
He stated that the tourism sector has the potential to contribute up to 10 per cent of India's GDP and create employment opportunities for crores of youth.
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