India has decided to take it as a mission to help people all over the world be healthy and happy: Union Minister Shri Suresh Prabhu

With rising life expectancy, the length of life should be commensurate with the quality of life. People should be able to stay healthy, thereby enabling them to stay happy and enjoy life: Union Commerce Minister at India Heals @Advantage Healthcare India

Working on a protocol to ensure that inbound medical tourists are not taken for a ride: Commerce Minister

New Delhi: The Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Shri Suresh Prabhu was Chief Guest at the inaugural session of the 4th edition of India Heals @Advantage Healthcare India (AHCI 2018) in Mumbai today December 2, 2018. The event is being organized by Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC), along with Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India and FICCI.

According to SEPC, India Heals @ AHCI 2018 is a platform to showcase training capabilities of India in Medical, Pharmacy and Nursing sectors and endeavours to connect  250 plus foreign buyers from India’s main export markets to meet with reliable NABH/JCI accredited Hospitals, Clinics, Wellness and AYUSH Centres. Buyers will also visit establishments, tentatively in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Besides India, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Malawi, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Oman, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Ukraine and Uzbekistan are the other countries participating in the event.

Welcoming the delegates from participating countries, the Minister said that with rising life expectancy, the length of life should be commensurate with the quality of life. People should be able to stay healthy, thereby enabling them to stay happy and enjoy life. Health care is going to be a very important issue and a major challenge, for future generations, said the Minister. He said that combating lifestyle diseases will be a bigger concern in the times to come. Given this challenge, India has decided to take it as a mission to help people all over the world be healthy and happy, in line with the Indian philosophy of universal brotherhood.

Shri Prabhu said that India Heals programme is a part of Government’s initiative to provide quality healthcare at affordable cost to everyone. Noting that medication is only a small portion of cost in the health care lifecycle, he said there is a need to make the health care lifecycle affordable and better. In order to do that, one possibility is to identify the root cause of the diseases, which he added is necessary to promote happiness and well-being. He said that the programmes of the Ministry of AYUSH are aimed at providing a holistic health care solution, keeping this in mind. Mind, soul and body must be aligned amongst one another, he said.

Addressing the visiting foreign delegates, the Minister said that India would provide health care services for medical tourists visiting India. Moreover, Shri Prabhu said that India is very happy to send medical and paramedical professionals from India to their countries in order to provide health care training and improve medical capacity.

Citing the importance of paramedical courses and professionals, the Minister observed that many health conditions can be addressed at the grassroots level and at a tertiary level. He said that especially with the advent of telemedicine, some cases can be dealt by paramedical professionals, even without a doctor being present.

The Minister spoke of the recent Cabinet decision to set up an institution will play the role of a standard-setter and facilitator for paramedical courses. He said that the Government is working on a protocol to ensure that medical tourists are not taken for a ride, on their visit to India.

Stating that the highest potential for job creation lies in the services sector, the Minister said that almost 800 million dollars have been set aside by the Government for 12 champion sectors and that the Government would be very happy to work with all stakeholders in taking this forward.

Director General, SEPC, Ms. Sangeetha Godbole; Chairman, SEPC, Shri Vivek Nair; and Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Shri Sudhanshu Pandey were among other dignitaries present.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.