In his Independence Day speech of 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched upon several significant aspects of the country’s growth and overall wellbeing. Health is on everyone’s agenda especially after the outbreak of corona. The issues in relation to health that got covered in the Prime Minister’s speech are:
- Proper nutrition to every poor person of the country – Prime Minister said that provision of nutrition is the priority of the government as lack of essential nutrients in women and children belonging to the poorer segments of the society can lead to obstacles in their growth and development
- Provision of rice fortified with nutrition by the year 2024 – fortified rice to poorer segments of the society would be provided through various government schemes, rice sold at ration shops, and rice provided during mid-day meals to children
- Important reforms in medical education – like; a substantial increase in the number of medical seats in the country
- Attention to preventive healthcare – so that lesser people fall sick
- Quality healthcare – through the Ayushman Bharat scheme so that there is better health facilities to all in every village of the country
- Affordable medicines to the poor and middle classes – through Jan Aushadhi Yojana
- 75,000 health and wellness centres – this has been at the block levels too with modern health infrastructure
- Oxygen plants – Prime Minster assured that very soon thousands of hospitals in the country will have their own oxygen plants.
With people-centric schemes and future centric plans healthcare appears to be on the growth path as what was garnered from the PM’s Independence Day Speech.