The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee attended the sixth Foundation Day celebrations of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi today (February 25, 2014).

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that a healthcare system resting on the essential trinity of availability, quality and affordability is a sine qua non of a developed country. In India, extending the circumference of country’s health coverage has been a long-drawn endeavour. The President said that yet, a world-class healthcare system eludes the common man. He underlined the need for health insurance mechanism to work effectively to provide relief to people during medical emergencies. He stated that under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, beneficiaries are entitled to cash less in-patient treatment. This facility should be comprehensive and made available for primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare. We should ensure its benefits covering every poor of the country, he stressed.

The President said that a technology-led health sector would make efficient provision of services possible. Healthcare is a potential hotbed for technological pursuits. Discovery of better formulations, indigenous production of sophisticated medical equipments, and development of nutritional and disease surveillance mechanisms are areas that call for innovative research. The President said that reputed medical institutions like PGIMER have a duty to develop a humanistic approach in the young doctors and orient them towards a value-based career in medicine. He expressed hope that doctors there would remain firm in their conviction to the higher objective of selfless service to society.