Avtar Bhat
KATHUA, June 17: Making a scathing attack on successive Governments in the erstwhile State of J&K and at Centre, Union Minister of State in PMO with Independent Charge of Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh today said, while they (previous Governments) neglected healthcare in the country Prime Minister, Narendra Modi made it a world role model.
Dr Jitendra Singh was speaking to media persons after inaugurating free telemedicine Mobile Camp “Doctor on Wheels” at block Mandli in Billawar, tehsil of Kathua district.
The Union Minister, while taking a dig at previous Governments said not to talk about preventive healthcare even the normal healthcare was no priority for them.
He said earlier the timely treatment of diseases was not the culture in the country and Modi took an initiative by not only improving the healthcare facilities in the country especially in remote and far flung areas but also created facilities with the result the people now go for preventive healthcare.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that India has made many strides in health sector under Modi and at present country is at par with other developed countries of world in Robotic technology.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that the startups which were given main thrust by Modi Government to eradicate unemployment have lot of potential in health sector also. He, however, regretted that startups could not get pace at such level in J&K as it did in other states due to the topography and climatic conditions of the UT. However, he urged the youth to come out of the Government job mindset as startups are more lucrative than the Government service.
He said that three youth from outside J&K are managing this mobile telemedicine service and they have a handsome income. He said the startups in health sector can be the best avenues of employment or earning and youth of J&K should turn towards it.
While highlighting the success story of Lavender cultivation in Bhaderwah tehsil of Doda district, the Union Minister said that now the Government is thinking to start Lavender cultivation in Bani and Billawar tehsils of Kathua district also.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that PM Modi is totally concerned for welfare of the people of J&K and other backward States and UTs of the country and he has given more thrust on the development of these areas.
He said Udhampur district has come first in PMGSY while highest allocation in PMGSY has been made to Kathua –Doda Parliamentary constituency. He said the Government’s priority is to bridge the public –private sector gap. The Union Minister said that efforts are on to provide robotic surgery opportunities to the people in far-flung areas of J&K and in this regard contacts have been established with some renowned robotic surgeons of the country.
He said under PM Narendra Modi, India had surprised the world by administering 220 crore COVID vaccine doses through a fully digital platform (CoWIN), not even imagined by the developed Western countries.
Dr. Jitendra Singh informed that this is the 3rd phase of first-ever mobile telemedicine service being provided in Jammu & Kashmir purely from non-Government sources. The first phase covered more than 60 villages in remote Gandoh in district Doda and the second phase covered far-flung villages situated along the International Border in district Kathua previously deprived of adequate medical services.
The Minister said the free telemedicine mobile camp today at Mandli in Billawar is being run with the support of voluntary groups.
Dr Jitendra Singh said this free telemedicine facility at Billawar today will overcome the problems of ‘Accessibility, Availability and Affordability’. He said, all the three obstacles like quality of services, doctors and assistance, distance of travelling and cost of consultation/treatment are targeted and solved efficiently through this facility. Ordinarily, a metro hospital will cost a patient more than 50,000 and may take two to three weeks time. This type of free telemedicine mobile camp will solve all the problems especially for those having weak socio-economic background, Dr. Jitendra Singh added.
Emphasising that India today is technologically at par with the most developed countries of the world, Dr. Jitendra Singh asserted that such telemedicine services as provided today are at par with the ones provided anywhere in the world and the advanced robotic surgeries would also be done in future using telemedicine services.
The mantra of PM Narendra Modi ‘Seva, Samparan and Start-up’ is being followed in these free telemedicine mobile services with extraordinary medical facilities for people with low socio-economic background as this Government is dedicated to the poor, said Dr. Jitendra Singh.
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