New Delhi: "It takes 10 to 20 years for any institution to grow and function in full swing. I will not allow the dilution of the standards of AIIMS and will protect its brand name," stated the Union Health Minister while addressing the BJMFCON 2024.
Addressing the BJMFCON 2024, a forum of doctors from Bihar and Jharkhand practising in Delhi-NCR, Nadda said AIIMS-Delhi was set up in the '60s but it was only in the '80s that it became a brand name.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda further said he would not allow any dilution in the standards of teaching and faculty at all the new AIIMS set up across the country as he vowed to protect the institute's brand.
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"It takes 10 to 20 years for any institution to grow and function in full swing. I will not allow the dilution of the standards of AIIMS and will protect its brand name," Nadda said, adding that no compromise will be made in the faculty recruitment, quotes PTI
Stating that several policy interventions have been made to transform medical education in the past 10 years, Nadda said, "In the 2017 health policy, we tried to make it comprehensive and holistic. Earlier, the stress was on the curative aspect but now the focus is on preventive, promotive, curative palliative and rehabilitative aspects -- a holistic approach."
The health minister also said that the groundbreaking ceremony for AIIMS-Darbhanga will be held soon, while the commissioning of AIIMS-Deoghar has been done and recruitment of staff is presently underway.
Underlining the government's efforts on preventive aspects of healthcare and early detection of diseases in the country, he said there are 1.73 lakh high-quality Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in India that go through a high-quality digital assessment. Out of these, 10,716 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been set up in Bihar which have witnessed a footfall of 8.35 crore so far while there have been 4.36 crore screenings for non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
There are 3,825 similar facilities in Jharkhand witnessing a footfall of 2.33 crore and 2.12 crore NCD screenings.
The focus of these facilities is on early detection of NCDs.
Highlighting the strides made in mother and child health, Nadda said that "institutional deliveries increased from 78.9 per cent to 88.6 per cent in the first five years of Modi government".
Nadda also mentioned the implementation of the world's largest Covid-19 vaccination programme with more than 220 crore doses being administered in the country.
The health minister further commended the healthcare providers "for their relentless efforts to ensure the accessibility of healthcare services even in the remotest areas of the country" as he highlighted their efforts and service during the Covid-19 pandemic.
From 387 before 2014 to 766 now, an increase of 98 per cent in the number of medical colleges has been ensured under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, he said.
A total of 157 district hospitals have been converted into medical colleges of which eight are in Bihar, including at Purnia, Saran, Samastipur and Jhajharpur, Siwan, Buxar and Jamui, while five are in Jharkhand at Dumka, Hazaribagh, Palamu, Chaibasa, and Kodarma, Nadda said.
He also emphasised that "the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) is being redeveloped into Asia's second-largest hospital".
The number of MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) seats has gone up by 125 per cent, from 51,348 before 2014 to 1,15, 412 now, he said.
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