India aims to attain highest possible level of health: Minister
New Delhi, Sep 3 : Stressing that India has fast-tracked many initiatives aimed at achieving the tenets of universal health coverage, Union Minister J.P. Nadda on Monday said here that the country's objective is to attain the highest possible level of health.
"India has fast-tracked many initiatives aimed at achieving all the core tenets of Universal Health Coverage i.e, strengthening health systems, improving access to free medicines and diagnostics and reducing catastrophic healthcare spending," Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare said at the inauguration of the '71st Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South East Asia Region (SEAR).'
He said that the country "believes in the objective of attainment of the highest possible level of health, where health is a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".
"Moving towards this objective, we have adopted the National Health Policy 2017 with the aim to provide affordable healthcare for all," he added.
The session, attended by ministers of health from the SEAR countries, also had participation of Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Health) among other dignitaries.
He described Ayushman Bharat as a programme that rests on "the twin pillars of health and wellness for provision of comprehensive primary healthcare services".
"Under the first pillar of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, we are reaching out to approximately 40 per cent of country's population roughly covering 500 million individuals, who will be provided an insurance cover of 500 thousand Indian rupees to cover secondary and tertiary healthcare."
The Minister said that India has always supported regional and global public health issues.
"India supports the regional and global health agenda and stands ready to work with fellow member states and the international community to achieve our common goal of health for all," he said.
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“Bleeding on the road, I begged for help but no one came”: Bengaluru woman recounts husband’s death
Bengaluru: A woman in Bengaluru has shared a painful account of how her husband died after they were repeatedly denied medical help and ignored by passersby during a medical emergency, NDTV reported.
The victim, 34-year-old Venkataramanan, a garage mechanic from Balaji Nagar, developed severe chest pain around 3.30 am. His wife immediately took him on a motorcycle in search of medical help.
"He complained about chest pain, and we went to the first hospital. However, the doctor was not on duty. At the second hospital, we were told he had a stroke and to go to another hospital. When we called for ambulance services, they did not respond properly. Humanity failed, but we did our bit by donating his eye." NDTV quoted his wife as saying.
According to the report, after being turned away twice, the couple met with an accident on the road. CCTV footage later showed the woman, covered in blood, pleading with folded hands as vehicles passed by, but no one stopped to help.
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The wait ended after several minutes when a cab driver stopped and rushed Venkataramanan to a nearby hospital. Doctors there declared him dead on arrival.
As per the report, the family decided to donate Venkataramanan’s eyes, giving sight to others even in death.
Venkataraman's mother, who had lost her last surviving child, had no words to express herself: "I have no words. I do not know what to say. My son is gone."
"The government should understand a health emergency. My daughter is left with two children. Who will look after them?" asked his mother-in-law. His wife, mother, and two children, a five-year-old son and an 18-month-old daughter now survive Venkataramanan.
The incident has once again raised serious questions about emergency healthcare access, ambulance response, and public apathy in the city.
