Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh on Friday said that India today is capable of leading global research in health sector and is being widely acknowledged widely for its extraordinary contribution to medical health, research and medical education.

The Union Minister was conferred the prestigious ‘Distinguished Mentor of the Year’ award by the American College of Physicians at the 9th Annual Conference of ACP India Chapter here on Friday.

The Union Minister while addressing the inauguration session emphasized the importance of collaboration between the private and public sectors, as well as international organizations in the advanced medical sciences.

Dr Jitendra Singh added that the success of India’s space sector, which was opened to private investment by Prime Minister Modi, resulted in several thousand crores of investment in a few months and a quantum jump in number of Space StartUps.

He said that India is experiencing a rise in non-communicable diseases but the communicable diseases are also persisting simultaneously while western countries which earlier faced more non-communicable diseases are now also facing infectious diseases, particularly after the emergence of AIDS and COVID pandemic.

The Union Minister stressed the scope for collaboration between India and the USA, leveraging India’s cost-effective research facilities, diverse medical conditions, and traditional medical knowledge.

Dr Jitendra Singh prioritized preventive healthcare in the younger generation so that they could devote their energy and potential to the task of nation building instead of getting wasted at the altar of avoidable morbidity. Their health and well-being had a great bearing on the making of PM Sh Narendra Modi’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ of 2047.

Dr Jitendra Singh also highlighted the growing collaborations in other sectors like Space under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership. He referred to Indian astronaut Group Captain Shukla joining his American and other counterparts in an expedition to the International Space Station.