Private sector should collaborate with Govt to ensure availability of affordable Health service: VP Naidu

The challenge before all of us is to ensure that healthcare services are not only affordable but accessible to the common man.

Belagavi:  Vice President Venkaiah Naidu recently stressed that the private sector should join hands with the Government to ensure availability of Health service for not only to affordable but also to common people.

Delivering his Convocation address at KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research here on Thursday, he said that "the need of the hour is for the private sector to join hands with the government in providing affordable healthcare through public-private partnership".

He said that higher education, particularly in the health sector is witnessing rapid changes due to technological advancements. "No doubt, latest diagnostic and therapeutic tools are helping in the diagnosis and treat some of the hitherto incurable diseases like cancer and heart diseases.

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At the same time, many of these technological advances are not available to the large section of the population because of the high costs. We, therefore, need to keep a balance. The challenge before all of us is to ensure that healthcare services are not only affordable but accessible to the common man.

The need of the hour is for the private sector to join hands with the government in providing affordable healthcare through public-private partnership", he added.

I am glad that the Centre and several state governments have launched health insurance schemes for providing health coverage to the poor and the needy.

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The youngsters should always be compassionate towards the downtrodden sections and treat them with empathy and understanding. They should always view this noble profession as a mission to serve the people and not as a commercial vocation. While the governments are creating facilities right up to Primary Health Centres, the private sector too should chip in to provide advanced diagnostic and treatment facilities in rural areas.

Naidu said that "I have noticed in the wake of technological advancements in the medical field is the gradual erosion of human touch or human element in the doctor-patient relationship. I feel that today’s doctors are not communicating adequately with the patients and rather performing their duty in a mechanical fashion—probably due to work pressure. There should be effective communication between the doctor and patients.

Naidu said that the curriculum of the Medical courses should also include subjects like bio-ethics, humanities and communication skills. "I have also observed that the focus of medical education has been on curative aspects rather than preventive aspects. I personally feel that the old saying ‘Prevention is Better Than Cure’ is very true and essential to be practised in today’s era", he added.