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Naidu calls for affordable healthcare in rural India
Bengaluru, April 12 (IANS) Anguished over the acute shortage of doctors and lack of proper healthcare facilities in rural areas, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday called for public-private partnership (PPP) to provide affordable treatment to the needy and poor in the countryside.
“We cannot have two Indias, with cities having state-of-the art facilities and rural areas lagging behind. We need a collaborative public-private partnership to remedy the situation on priority,” said Naidu in his address at the 20th convocation of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) here.
Regretting that a country of 130-crore people had one doctor for every 1,000 population, Naidu said the rural areas were much less covered by affordable treatment.
“The urban-rural divide in healthcare needs urgent attention and action,” said Naidu.
The healthcare sector calls for participation of all stakeholders and use of innovation to bridge intent and execution, he added.
“No single entity in the sector can achieve the health outcomes and deliver results. However, the private sector health facilities must not only be accessible to the needy and poor, but must also be affordable,” Naidu said.
Healthcare delivery in India was poised to undergo a change at all its stages — prevention, diagnosis and treatment, said the Vice President.
The Central government will be soon rolling out the Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission (NHPM), touted to be the world’s largest public funded health insurance scheme, expected to benefit over 50 crore poor people in the country.
Noting that the number of people in the country living in poverty had reduced by half over the last 20 years, Naidu pointed that a rise in communicable diseases and lifestyle-related diseases still persisted and needed to be addressed.
With nearly 140 million Indians going to enter higher education institutions in the country by 2030, there was also a need to improve the quality of higher education, Naidu said.
“One in every four graduates in the world will most likely be the product of Indian education system. If we can improve the quality of higher education, we can leverage the demographic dividend for the benefit of the society.”
Set up in 1996 by the Karnataka government, the RGUHS is among the largest health sciences universities in the country.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.