Make India leading power in health care: President Droupadi Murmu

On Friday, President Droupadi Murmu urged the healthcare community to strive for India's prominence in medical research and to ensure that healthcare facilities are not only advanced but also affordable, attracting individuals from around the globe to seek medical services in the country. She served as the chief guest during the inauguration of the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Nagpur.

Hailing GMCH for the services it had rendered in the past 75 years, the President said affordable medical facilities were necessary for the overall development of any society. The COVID pandemic made everyone realise the importance of a strong health care system, she said.

It was the hard work of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals which ensured India could vaccinate such a huge population speedily against the disease, she said. Pointing out that lack of doctors was a big obstacle in providing universal health care, the President said the country had recently seen a good increase in the number of medical colleges as well as MBBS and post graduate seats, all of which would play an important role in providing proper facilities to people.

Disparity in health services is also a problem and the Central government is addressing it by opening medical colleges in districts, which will reduce regional imbalance and the rural-urban divide, Murmu said. The President lauded GMCH for its research in mental health and for contributing to the health care sector of Maharashtra.

Take steps in making the country a leading power in medical research and health care and make these so affordable that people from across the world should come to you for health services, she told the gathering.