Coming years will belong to those who have invested in healthcare: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Wednesday that the coming years will belong to those who have invested in healthcare and said he is proud of the work his government has done to strengthen the sector in the last eight years.

Modi made the comments while sharing details tweeted by a government portal on the highlights of his dispensation's measures in this core human development field.

It noted that around 3.26 crore people got free medical treatment under Ayushman Bharat, a health insurance scheme for the poor, six new AIIMS were operationalised, the world's "largest, fastest and first-ever digital" vaccination drive was launched to curb Covid and the number of medical colleges had risen by 55 per cent since 2014.

The establishment of one medical college for every district has also been targeted, it added.

Modi tweeted, "The coming years will belong to those who have invested in healthcare. I am proud of the work our government has done to strengthen the healthcare sector in India." The prime minister also shared a story from his app, dwelling at length on "gamechangers" driving a futuristic revolution in the healthcare sector.

It said accessible and affordable quality healthcare has become a reality for citizens. Medical expenditure used to be a severe economic burden for low-income households and often led them into debt traps earlier, it said.

"In 2018, the Modi government gave a permanent relief from this burden to nearly 18 crore households by launching the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the world's largest health insurance programme," it added.

It cited the 'PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission' and the 'Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission' as two other important programmes that will build the future of healthcare in India.

"Healthcare is among our key focus areas. The last 8 years have been about augmenting health infrastructure, ensuring affordable and quality healthcare access to every Indian, and integrating technology with this sector," the prime minister said on Twitter.

The eighth anniversary of the Modi government fell on May 30, and the prime minister has been sharing governance highlights from various fields to mark the milestone. 

Image: PTI