India's health system is largest in the world, says JP Nadda

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Union Health Minister JP Nadda highlighted that India's healthcare system is the largest in the world, capable of taking care of a large population. He also praised the government’s efforts to produce more doctors to strengthen the healthcare system.

India has a robust health system capable of taking care of a large population, and the country is also catering to international needs, Union Health Minister JP Nadda said on Sunday. 

He was speaking after inaugurating the ‘Kaushalyam’ lab, which is a part of the medical college started by the Hedgewar hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra.

“We have a robust health system. We should never think it’s weak. People often talk about developments in foreign countries. I ask them about the population there, which is just 10-20 million. A district here could have that many people,” he said, news agency PTI reported.

India is known for its unity in diversity, and such comparisons don’t hold much weight, said the Union minister.

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“If comparisons are to be made, then it has to be over the administration of 220 crore COVID vaccine doses, including boosters. If India can conduct vaccination on such a massive scale while maintaining the cold chain supply, it tells us that our health system is robust,” he said.

Nadda said 200 million children are born every year in India and are given various vaccines, which are recorded as well.

He also highlighted the government’s efforts to produce more doctors. “We are the ones who give doctors to the world. The number of medical seats (MBBS) has increased from 50,000 to 1.18 lakh, while PG seats have gone up from 3,000 to over 65,000,” he said, without specifying the period.

“We cannot be compared with the London health system. If we call back half of the doctors (produced by India) in London, their health system will collapse,” he said.

It’s a matter of pride that doctors put their lives on the line to save people, he said.

“Our detection of tuberculosis and the decline in cases are twice as high as the global average. Our health system is advancing with great strength. People from African countries are coming here for cheaper and better treatment. We are catering to national as well as international needs,” he said.

Nadda said one can earn lakhs through the medical profession, but the field is aimed at earning the goodwill of millions of people.

“So you have to decide your course of action… No one gets everything in one life. The priorities should be set and one must strike a balance between self and society,” he said at the high-tech laboratory, reports PTI.

Nadda also wondered if “international standards should be our standards”.

“India needs to prepare its own base. So we have to be aware of what we need in the medical field and the way we are moving ahead,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Nadda said fighting cancer was a top priority area for policymakers, and Rs 3000 crore had been allocated in the last eight years for high-end treatment. He was speaking after inaugurating the Truebeam facility (linear accelerator used in radiation oncology) at the State Cancer Institute here.

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