New Delhi (The Hawk): Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also a renowned Diabetologist, said today that Digital healthcare can be an effective preventive tool against a host of diseases ranging from lifestyle disorders like Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus to infectious diseases like Covid.
The Minister was speaking on the topic of “India's digital roadmap for Healthy India for accessible and affordable healthcare” at the 3rd Healthcare Leaders Summit in New Delhi.
He said, digital healthcare with a focus on prevention will be the focus in the years to come.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, public-private partnership (PPP) model for healthcare services is the need of the hour especially to put an end to the urban-rural dichotomy in healthcare services.
“So, I think, larger integration not only helps in technology sharing, in digital sharing, in financial resource sharing, in human (resource) sharing, (but) it also acts as a huge mutual stimulant of energies, of the positive vibes flowing and also learning from each other and also at the same time gives a feeling of belonging and the ownership to the goal you have taken up whether it is innovation to health or any other sector,” he said.
“We can leverage science and technology to bridge disparities between the urban and rural divide with a dedicated focus on affordability, inclusivity, and accessibility,” he added.
Lauding Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for the high priority given to healthcare, Dr Jitendra Singh said that it was because of the personal interest and intervention of PM Modi that within two years, India not only managed the Covid pandemic successfully better than much smaller countries, but also succeeded in coming out with a DNA vaccine and providing it to the other countries as well.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, India has made progress over the years in bettering the overall healthcare infrastructure of the country, and that there has been “a transition over the entire disease spectrum as well as the evolution of therapeutic and the preventive modalities available to us over the last half a century or so”.
“After the Eighties, there was globalization or the so-called ‘democratization’ of diseases, so we also started having the lifestyle diseases, coronary diseases, etc, and coupled with that also the change in life expectancy,” he said, pointing out that the life expectancy has gone up close to 70 years of age.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, following PM Modi’s vision in the last more than 9 years, healthcare has been given top priority by the government.
By bringing in Ayushman Bharat, the first of its kind health insurance scheme in the world, he said, India has moved from sectoral and segmented approach of health service delivery to a comprehensive need-based healthcare service.
“This is possibly the only health insurance scheme in the world which offers the option of seeking insurance cover even for a pre-existing disease, like for example, if today a person is detected having cancer, he can thereafter go and get himself insured to receive the financial support for treatment,” he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, Science and Technology are crucial tools in addressing the unmet needs of society and addressing the global challenges that we are facing today.
“The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) Bill will nudge companies to invest in Research and Development. The Government is planning a unique PPP entity for which Rs 36,000 crore of the research funding is to come from the private sector whereas the Government will put Rs 14,000 crore for the same, to ensure greater participation of industry,” he said.
The Minister said as India is in the frontline of diabetes research in the world, the prevention of diabetes in the youth and pregnant women is a priority.
“In a country with 70% population below the age of 40 and the youth of today are going to be the prime citizens of India@2047, preventive healthcare and widespread mass screening will help achieve our economy the expected rate of growth set out by PM Modi,” he said.
