Addressing a post budget webinar, the Prime Minister said that the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission is not only resulting in the development of new hospitals but is also making essential health infrastructure accessible to small towns and villages

The affordable medical treatment and medicines has saved Rs 1 lakh crore of people all over the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on the occasion of Jan Aushadhi Diwas on March 7.

“Making medical treatment affordable has been the top-most priority of our government and through Ayushman Bharat, about 80 thousand crore rupees of the poor patients were saved due to free treatment under the scheme,” the PM Modi said. “The affordable medicines through 9000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras have saved about 20 thousand crore rupees of the poor and middle classes all over the country. This means that just these two schemes saved one lakh crore rupees of the citizens.”

Addressing a post budget webinar about ‘Health and Medical Research’, the PM said more than 1.5 lakh health centres are being developed in close proximity to homes across the country so that testing centres and first aid are available. The centres will have facilities for screening serious ailments such as diabetes, cancer and heart-related issues also, he added.

The PM said that the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission is not only resulting in the development of new hospitals but also making essential health infrastructure accessible to small towns and villages.

“As the pandemic focused the global attention on health, India went a step further and focused on wellness,” the PM said. “That is why we have put forward a vision before the world – One Earth One Health. This involves holistic healthcare for all creatures – humans, animals or plants.”

It was the ninth of a series of 12 post-budget webinars organized by the government to seek ideas and suggestions for effectively implementing the initiatives announced in the Union Budget 2023.

The PM emphasized on the role of technology in making medical services accessible and affordable. “We want to give timely healthcare to the citizens through the facility of Digital Health ID. 10 crore people have already benefited by tele-consultation through schemes like e-Sanjivini”, he said.

“5G is creating new opportunities in this sector for startups. Drones are bringing revolutionary changes in medicine delivery and testing services. This is a great opportunity for the entrepreneurs and will give a push to our efforts for universal healthcare”, the PM added.

The PM said the medical devices market will touch Rs 4 lakh crore in coming years. India, he pointed out, has started work on skilled manpower for future medical technology and high-end manufacturing and research.

“In institutions like IIT, courses like biomedical engineering will be run,” the PM added.

The government, the PM said, is being launching a programme to boost research and innovation in the pharma sector through centres of excellence which will strengthen the economy as well as create new opportunities for employment. He revealed that the market size of the pharma sector in India is Rs 4 lakh crore and called for the need to find coordination between the private sector and academia as it has the potential to grow the market size beyond Rs 10 lakh crore.

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