Namaskar ji,
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar ji, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya ji, Union Minister of State for Health Dr. Bharati Pawar ji, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij ji, Infosys Foundation Chairperson Smt. Sudha Murthy ji, my colleagues in Parliament, legislators, other dignitaries and my brothers and sisters.
This day of October 21, 2021 has been recorded in history. India has crossed the 100 crore vaccine doses mark sometime back. The country now has a strong protective shield of 100 crore vaccine doses to counter the biggest pandemic in 100 years. This achievement belongs to India, to every citizen of India. I express my heartfelt gratitude to all the vaccine manufacturing companies of the country, the workers involved in vaccine transportation and the health sector professionals involved in the vaccination. Just a while back I came from a vaccination center at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. There is enthusiasm and there is also a sense of responsibility that together we have to defeat Corona as soon as possible. I congratulate every Indian and I dedicate this success of 100 crore vaccine doses to every Indian.
Friends,
Patients coming for cancer treatment to AIIMS Jhajjar have got a great facility today. The Vishram Sadan (rest house), built in the National Cancer Institute, will lessen the anxiety of patients and their relatives. In diseases like cancer, the patient and his relatives have to come to the hospital repeatedly for treatment sometimes for a doctor’s advice, tests, radio-therapy and chemotherapy. In such a situation, they have a big problem where to stay? Now this problem of patients coming to the National Cancer Institute will be greatly reduced. It will be a great help especially to the people of Haryana, Delhi and its adjoining areas and Uttarakhand.
Friends,
This time I had mentioned ‘Sabka Prayas’ (everybody’s effort) from the Red Fort. If there is collective power in any sector and everyone’s efforts are visible, then the pace of change also increases. This 10-storey Vishram Sadan has also been completed with the efforts of everyone in this Corona period. Importantly, both the government of the country and the corporate world has collective efforts in this Vishram Sadan. While Infosys Foundation has constructed the building of Vishram Sadan, AIIMS Jhajjar has borne the cost of land, electricity and water. I express my gratitude to the AIIMS management and the team of Sudha Murthy ji for this service. Sudha ji’s personality is very modest and easy-going and she is equally compassionate towards the poor. Her philosophy of ‘Nar Seva as Narayan Seva’ (Service to Humanity is Service to God) and her actions inspire everyone. I commend her for her cooperation in this Vishram Sadan.
Friends,
India’s corporate sector, private sector and social organizations have continuously contributed in strengthening the health services of the country. Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is also a great example of this. Under this scheme, more than 2.25 crore patients have been treated free of cost. And this treatment has been done in both government and private hospitals. Out of the thousands of hospitals that are empanelled with the Ayushman scheme, about 10,000 are from the private sector.
Friends,
This partnership between the public and private sectors is contributing to the unprecedented expansion of medical infrastructure and medical education. Today, when our emphasis is on setting up at least one medical college in every district of the country, the role of the private sector is also very important. Major reforms in the governance of medical education have been undertaken to give impetus to this partnership. It has become easier to open private medical colleges in India after the formation of the National Medical Commission.
Friends,
There is a saying in our country that दान दिए धन ना घटे, नदी ना घटे नीर i.e., donation does not reduce money, so does water in a river. Therefore, the more service you do, the more you donate, your wealth will also increase. In a way, the charity we give, the service we serve, only leads to our progress. I believe Vishram Sadan in Jhajjar, Haryana, is also emerging as a Vishwas Sadan (trust house). This Vishram Sadan also acts as Vishwas Sadan. It will inspire other people of the country to build more such Vishram Sadan. The central government is also making efforts on its part that night shelters are made in all the AIIMS and those under construction.
Friends,
If the patient and his relatives get some relief, then their courage to fight the disease also increases. Providing this facility is also a kind of service. When the patient gets free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, it is a service to him. It is because of this service that our government has taken steps to reduce the prices of about 400 cancer medicines. It is this service due to which medicines are being given to the poor at very cheap and nominal rates through the Jan Aushadhi Kendras. And the middle class families, who sometimes have to take medicines throughout the year, are saving Rs 10,000-15,000 in a year. Attention is also being paid so that all the necessary facilities are available in the hospitals, the process of appointments is simple and convenient and there should be no difficulty in getting the appointment. I am satisfied that today many institutions like Infosys Foundation, with this spirit of service, are helping the poor and making their lives easier. And just as Sudha ji has spoken about ‘Patram-Pushpam’ in great detail and I believe it becomes the duty of all the countrymen not to let go of any opportunity to serve.
Friends,
India is moving fast towards developing a robust healthcare system in this virtuous period of independence. Work is in progress regarding setting up more health and wellness centres across villages, tele-medicine facilities through e-Sanjeevani, human resources development in the health sector, construction of new medical institutions etc. This goal is certainly huge. But if society and the government work together with full force, we will be able to achieve the target very quickly. You will note there was an innovative initiative called Self-for-Society some time back. Thousands of institutions and lakhs of people are contributing to the cause of society by joining it. We have to continue our efforts in a more organized manner, to connect more and more people and to increase awareness in future. We all have to keep working together for a healthy and wealthy future. And this will happen only with the efforts of everyone, only by the collective power of the society. I once again express my gratitude to Sudha ji and Infosys Foundation. Since I am speaking to the people of Haryana, I definitely want to tell them something else. I have been fortunate that I got to learn a lot from Haryana. I have got an opportunity to work in Haryana for a long period of my life. I have seen many governments closely. But Haryana has got a purely honest government under the leadership of Manohar Lal Khattar ji after many decades which only thinks for the bright future of Haryana all the time. I know that the media has not paid much attention to such constructive and positive issues, but whenever the performance of the governments in Haryana is evaluated, the present government will emerge as the best in the last five decades for its innovative and far-reaching decisions. I have known Manohar Lal ji for many years. But the way his talent has come to the fore as the Chief Minister, the way he continues to do various innovative programs with great enthusiasm, sometimes even the Government of India feels that one such experiment of Haryana should be implemented across the country. We have also carried out some such experiments. Therefore, when I am near the soil of Haryana and speaking to its people, I will definitely say that the way this team of Bharatiya Janata Party has served Haryana under the leadership of Manohar Lal ji, and laid the foundation with a long-term planning, it will go a long way for the bright future of Haryana. I congratulate Manohar Lal ji publicly once again today. Many congratulations to his entire team. I also thank you all very much from the bottom of my heart.
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.