Centre to add 75k more UG, PG medical seats in 5 years: Nadda in Bathinda

Pics: JP Nadda presiding over the second convocation of AIIMS, BathindaBathinda: India's healthcare approach has evolved from a curative model to a comprehensive framework encompassing preventive, promotive, rehabilitative, palliative and geriatric care, said Union minister for health and family welfare J P Nadda on Tuesday. Addressing the second convocation of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bathinda, the minister said over 1.82 lakh Ayushman Arogya Centres are serving as the first point of contact for healthcare services across the country. Emphasising the Centre's focus on preventive healthcare, he said all individuals above 30 years of age are being encouraged to undergo regular screening through panchayats, ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers and frontline health personnel. "Over 36 crore people have been screened for oral cancer, more than 17 crore women for breast cancer and over 9 crore women for cervical cancer. In addition, more than 42 crore individuals have been screened each for diabetes and hypertension, while a nationwide tuberculosis screening campaign is underway," Nadda said. The minister highlighted the expansion of the medical education ecosystem over the past decade. He said number of AIIMS institutions has increased to 23, medical colleges have grown from 387 to over 820, undergraduate medical seats have increased from about 59,000 to more than 1.28 lakh, and postgraduate seats from around 31,000 to over 86,000. He said the Centre is committed to adding 75,000 more UG and PG medical seats over the next five years, with nearly 23,000 seats already established during the last two years. Describing doctors as the true strength of the healthcare system, Nadda remarked that infrastructure may constitute the hardware of healthcare, but healthcare professionals are its software. He said Punjab remains a priority for the Centre in healthcare development and highlighted the expansion of healthcare infrastructure in the state. The minister lauded AIIMS Bathinda's community outreach initiatives, including the organisation of Ayushman camps twice every month across 59 nearby villages, where citizens are screened for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer. Later, Nadda inaugurated a state-of-the-art Positron Emission Tomography–Computed Tomography (PET-CT) facility and a second High Energy Linear Accelerator (HELA) unit, enhancing AIIMS Bathinda's capabilities in cancer diagnosis and treatment. He also inaugurated a dedicated Burns Intensive Care Unit (Burns ICU), and dedicated the Child Development and Early Intervention Centre (CDEIC) to the community.