India’s vision for health has always been universal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at AHCI 2023

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi inaugurated the 6th edition of Advantage Healthcare India 2023 (AHCI 2023) through a video message yesterday. Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister said that India’s vision for health has always been universal, restricted to not only humans but also animals as well as plants. “When the environment around us is healthy, we will be healthy,” Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi noted.

“Our goal is wellness and welfare for everyone. Our goal is physical, mental and social well-being.” India’s view of health does not stop at the lack of illness. Being free of diseases is just a stage on the way to wellness, he added.

Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi stated that India started the journey of its G-20 presidency with the theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. “We realise the importance of resilient global healthcare systems in fulfilling this vision,” he added.

Indian Healthcare talent has won the world’s trust. True progress is people centric. No matter how many advances are made in medical science, access must be assured to the last person at the last mile, said Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi.

India is proud to have been a partner to many nations in the noble mission of saving lives through vaccines and medicines. “We became home to the world’s largest and fastest COVID-19 vaccination drive,” he added.

“We have a great tradition of preventive and promotive health. The global response to healthcare challenges cannot be scattered and isolated. It is time for an integrated, inclusive and institutional response. This is one of our focus areas during our G-20 presidency,” stated Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi.

“Our goal is to make healthcare accessible and affordable for our citizens and the whole world. Reducing disparity is India’s priority. Serving the Unserved is an article of faith for us,” he said.

Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, said, “The AHCI 6th edition is a comprehensive report that provides valuable insights into the healthcare sector in India. The report highlights the areas where we have made significant progress and points out the areas where we need to focus our efforts to improve healthcare outcomes for our citizens. The government is committed to providing quality healthcare services to all, and we will continue to work towards achieving this goal.”

“With great power comes great responsibility. As the voice of the global south, we are responsible for creating a better future, where healthcare is service and not commerce,” said Dr Mandaviya.

He further highlighted that given the acute shortage of the healthcare workforce following COVID-19, Indian healthcare professionals hold great potential to help save lives across borders. India currently supports several developing countries lacking secondary and tertiary care facilities to facilitate capacity building of hospitals so that they can treat patients in their own country and send referrals of special care cases to India, the Health Minister said.

Today, India is recognised as one of the fastest-growing medical value travel destinations in Asia and the world. “This year, as India holds the Presidency of G-20 with its theme – ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, we are blessed with the opportunity to shift our attention from the micro to the macro level,” said Dr Mandaviya.

Prof Dr Manik Saha, Chief Minister of Tripura, while highlighting the potential of medical tourism in the state said, “Tripura shares border with Bangladesh resulting in citizens from Bangladesh coming to Tripura for treatment. Tripura has a lot of medicinal plants and herbs, having the potential to set up multi-speciality hospitals and become the gateway for the Southeast Asian region along with boosting India’s medical tourism.”

Mr Prem Singh Tamang, Chief Minister of Sikkim said, “The pleasant atmosphere and pure environment with home to several medicinal plants, Sikkim is India’s one of the best medical value travel destinations. The Monasteries in Sikkim provide individuals with meditation and healing. The state provides health-oriented services that include rehabilitation. The state’s health sector is transforming faster with the help of schemes and policies announced by the government of India, like Ayushman Bharat, enabling citizens in remote places to access healthcare.”

Dr VK Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, said, “Advantage Healthcare India 2023 is a G-20 cobranded event with the theme ‘One Earth, One Health’ and the World is One Family. It is a platform to emphasise global partnerships for unified health architecture and interconnectedness of the global health ecosystem. Today, the world trusts the capabilities of Indian doctors, medical professionals, and health infrastructure. We aim to create a global healthcare framework, using each other’s strengths and taking healthcare beyond boundaries.”

Dr Sangita Reddy, Past President, FICCI and Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “With advanced technology in the medical industry, India can become a preferred healthcare destination. The country’s medical industry is committed to providing ‘proactive and preventive’ healthcare to patients and ensuring no one is left behind.”

Mr Shailesh Pathak, Secretary General, FICCI said, “As the Corona lockdowns showed us, the disease doesn’t have borders. Similarly, Heal in India shows there are no borders to treatment. We take pride in health hardware and software and TLC- Tender, Loving, Care.”

The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), organised the 6th edition of Advantage Healthcare India 2023 (One Earth One Health) with Indian G20 Presidency. The event is being held from April 26 to 27.

Reverse Buyer Seller Meetings and scheduled B-2-B meetings with hosted delegates from more than 70 designated countries in the region of Africa, the Middle East, the Commonwealth of Independent States, SAARC, and ASEAN brought together. They connected the Indian healthcare providers and foreign participants on one forum. This summit witnessed more than 200 exhibitors and 500+ hosted foreign delegates from 70+ countries of Africa, the Middle East, CIS, and SAARC.

About 10 Health Ministers from various countries, accompanying other dignitaries and 500+ foreign business delegates from government, private hospitals, and medical facilitators, participated in the event. Health Ministers from foreign countries like Bangladesh, Armenia, Bhutan, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Maldives, Nigeria, Russia and Somalia participated in the event.

The two-day event is aimed to showcase India as the New Hub of Medical Value Travel and how it has emerged as a major hub for world-class healthcare and wellness services. The summit created and explored opportunities for healthcare collaborations between the participating countries. It also promoted the export of medical services from India and helped establish India as a global healthcare destination.