Healthcare has been one of the key focus areas of the Modi government, Union Civil Aviation and Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said today.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that with a holistic approach to healthcare, the government was focusing on health as well as wellness, by eliminating the factors responsible for illness and making treatment of diseases inclusive. The amount of work that has been done in the health sector in India in the last 7-8 years has not been done in the last 70 years, he added.

Scindia, who had attended the high-level meeting on the Covid situation chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday, said that the last 8 years have been about augmenting health infrastructure, ensuring affordable and quality healthcare access to every Indian, and integrating technology with this sector.

The healthcare sector in India was being improved and strengthened on various fronts viz. providing affordable treatment and medicines; modern healthcare facilities at the village level; development of human resources; promotion of preventive healthcare; and use of technology to enhance access to healthcare.

On providing affordable treatment and medicines, Scindia said that the Modi government was ensuring access to quality essential healthcare services and access to affordable medicines by putting the vision of ‘Antyodaya’ into action in healthcare.

He said that the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) under Ayushman Bharat was the world’s largest health insurance scheme fully financed by the government. PM-JAY was covering around 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families (approx. 50 crore beneficiaries) for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation. He said that the number of Ayushman Cards generated was 17.6 crore, and over 28,800 Public and Private Hospitals have been empanelled.

On the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PM BJP) scheme, Scindia said it was ensuring the availability of over 1,800 affordable yet high-quality medicines in about 8,800 Jan Aushadhi pharmacy outlets across India.

The minister informed that there has been unprecedented awareness in the country regarding Yoga and Ayush. The attraction for yoga has increased in the world. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has helped in the prevention of many diseases.

Scindia said that due to the use of technology, even a person living in a remote village was able to get initial consultation from the doctors of the cities.