The leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought about an entire change in the health sectors of India. The policies initiated, along with upgrading healthcare infrastructures, initiated schemes that have improved accessibility and made health care services more affordable and with better quality in the nation.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, medical facilities in the country have improved a lot in last 10 years. In 70 years after independence, only 7 AIIMS were constructed, but during Modi Jiâs tenure, number of AIIMS in the country has increased to 23. In 70 years, 387 medical colleges were built in the country, but in last 10 years, the Prime Minister has increased this to 706.
Earlier, there were 51,000 MBBS seats, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has increased the number of these seats to 1,07,000. Modi government has facilitated medical and engineering studies in Indian languages.
Several ambitious healthcare initiatives introduced by Narendra Modi's government has entirely uplifted the marginalized community of Bharat including Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, PM-JAY. Rolled out in 2018, Ayushman Bharat has enabled health coverage to more than half a billion poor people so far, making it the world's largest government-funded healthcare program. The health program has effectively targeted rural populations as well as economically weaker sections who have historically been gravely handicapped in receiving health care.
The indirect increase in sanitation and hygiene under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or the Clean India Mission has improved results in public health. The mission was launched in 2014 targeting the eradication of open defecation and improvement in sanitation infrastructure in the entire country. Poor sanitation has caused several diseases for many years such as cholera, diarrhea, and respiratory infections among others. It was mainly common in rural areas. By establishing more than 12 crore toilets in the country and by adopting cleaner habits, the Modi government considerably reduced the incidence of diseases associated with poor sanitation. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has widely impacted health, particularly for children as well as the most vulnerable among others, and has evoked greater consciousness regarding cleanliness and hygiene.
Another development about Modi's healthcare system for India is the National Digital Health Mission. The way health care delivery has become has transformed because the digital system allows the easy accessibility of patients' data for any doctor and hospital anywhere in the country, which then becomes possible to receive more efficient diagnoses and treatments. NDHM provides digital health records, reduces paperwork, minimizes redundant tests, and enables telemedicine services; all of these are reasonably very important for distant and rural areas.
Telemedicine has bridged the gap between doctors and patients, bringing to their doorstep expert medical advice that was hitherto not accessible or available to those. Telemedicine and availability of digital health records under NDHM played a great role in the COVID-19 pandemic; the central government could keep track of, and monitor, patient care efficiently. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission marks a Transformative Three-Year Journey towards enabling Digital Health. Over 67 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) have been created. More than 42 crore health records have been linked to ABHA. Over 1.3 lakh facilities are ABDM-enabled, including more than 17,000 private facilities. 3.3 lakh health facilities and 4.7 lakh healthcare professionals have been successfully registered in the National Healthcare Providers Registry.
Another major priority has been self-reliance in the production of essential medicines and equipment, particularly through initiatives like Make in India. It has enabled India to reduce its dependency on imported medical supplies, thus reducing the healthcare costs of the citizens. The Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana has opened Janaushadhi stores across the country with generic medicines available at reasonable prices for the public at large. These stores made essential drugs available at a much lower price and thus cushioned economically disadvantaged patients.
For domestic manufacture, it was during the pandemic of COVID-19, when India could make ventilators, PPE kits, and even COVID-19 vaccines within the country. It was from the vaccines of Covaxin and Covishield that Indians indigenously produced, not just vaccinating the population at an unprecedented rate but shaping India itself into a world leader by supplying vaccines to other countries.
Maternal and child health have been a cornerstone of Modi's healthcare policies. Since launched in 2016, the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) has taken forward a march to see the betterment of health in respect of mothers and child through frequent interval antenatal checkups offered free to expectant mothers. Since this initiative would reduce the two grave issues of maternal and infant mortality, appropriate health care would be provided to women during pregnancy and at the time of delivery.
So, the success of the program has quite vehemently gained ground in rural areas since accessibility to maternal health services was abysmal till then. Another initiative undertaken by the Modi government is immunization under the program called Mission Indradhanush, launched in 2014. This program proposes to fully immunize children and pregnant women against vaccine preventable common diseases, among others, polio, measles, and hepatitis B. Under the Intensified Mission Indradhanush initiated by the government, the government identifies regions with extremely low immunization coverage to target such neglected communities and push the overall immunization rate of the nation. A combination of these programs has affected the health of women and children and the next generation in terms of health.
The Modi-led government also initiated bold strategies to combat tuberculosis in the country through the National TB Elimination Program. India still carries the highest burden of TB in the world. While in 2018, Modi set the ambitious goal of making India TB-free by 2025, five years ahead of the global target. Free diagnosis and treatment, nutritional support to the patient, and awareness campaigns to reduce stigma around the disease are the measures applied under the program. The outcome has included increased detection rates and better treatment outcomes, thereby establishing India well for making a substantial leap in controlling TB.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made enormous improvements to India's healthcare system by focusing on better health for everyone. The leadership has helped increase access to healthcare while also improving the quality of services across the country. Modi's vision includes building stronger healthcare facilities, supporting new medical technology, and encouraging people to take care of their health early. The government's entire approach is helping make healthcare more inclusive, reaching more people and ensuring they get the care they need. With his dedication, India is moving toward a future where healthcare is available to all and meets the needs of every person.
(Writer Dr. Basant Goel is Philanthropist, Founder of Goel Medicos and Sarvarth Seva Foundation, New Delhi. Author's Email : drbasantgoel@yahoo.com)
