Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated R J Sankara Eye Hospital in his parliamentary constituency and claimed that the hospital would wipe out the darkness and lead many people towards light. He also took a walkthrough of the exhibition organised for the occasion.

The hospital offers consultation and treatment facilities for various eye conditions.

Addressing a gathering after the inauguration of the hospital, the prime minister said visiting Kashi during this auspicious period is an opportunity to experience virtue.

He noted the gracious presence of the people of Kashi, saints, and philanthropists and mentioned performing darshan and receiving prasadam and blessings with Param Pujya Shankaracharya ji. Congratulating the people of Kashi and Uttaranchal, he emphasised that they have been blessed with another modern hospital today in the land of Lord Shankar.

Giving an analogy of a quote mentioned in the ancient scriptures of India, the prime minister remarked that R J Sankara Eye hospital would wipe out the darkness and lead many people towards light. He said having just visited the eye hospital, he felt it was an amalgamation of spirituality and modernity and the hospital would serve both the old and young in giving eyesight.

The prime minister added that the poor would be getting free treatment at the hospital in large numbers. He noted that the eye hospital would also create new job avenues for many youths as well as job and internship opportunities for medical students along with jobs for the support staff as well.

The prime minister recalled his association with Sankara Eye Foundation during his chief ministership in Gujarat and recalled inaugurating Sankara Eye Hospital in the presence of Sri Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi’s guru. He said it is a matter of great contentment to receive the blessings of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peethadipathi, Jagadguru Shankaracharya Chandrashekharendra Saraswati Swamigal and mentioned accomplishing several tasks under the guidance of Param Pujya Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswati.

The prime minister called it a matter of personal satisfaction being associated with three different traditions of gurus. He thanked Sri Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi for blessing the occasion and welcomed him as the people’s representative of Varanasi.

PM Modi said a lot of work has been done in the healthcare sector in the last decade in his constituency. There was a modern health facility even for the treatment of cancer patients in Varanasi. He highlighted that the patients were getting good medical treatment in Varanasi itself today and no longer need to visit to Delhi or Mumbai as they used to earlier. Thousands of people from Bihar, Jharkhand and other places are coming to Varanasi for treatment. He remarked that the erstwhile “Mokshadayini” (Salvation giver) Varanasi was transitioning to a “NavJeevandayini” (New Life giver) Varanasi as well with new energy and resources.

The prime minister alleged that healthcare was neglected by previous government in Purvanchal including Varanasi. Such was the situation 10 years ago that there were no block-level treatment centers for brain fever in Purvanchal leading to the death of children leading to hue and cry in the media. He expressed satisfaction that in the last decade, there had been an unprecedented expansion of health facilities not only in Kashi but also in the entire region of Purvanchal.

He noted that today there are more than 100 such centers working to treat brain fever in Purvanchal and more than 10 thousand new beds have been added in the primary and community centers of Purvanchal in the last decade. He further noted that in 10 years, more than five and a half thousand Ayushman Arogya Mandirs were built in the villages of Purvanchal.

The prime minister also said that there were more than 20 dialysis units working today which were providing free treatment to patients as compared to 10 years ago when there were no dialysis facilities in the district hospitals of Purvanchal.

The prime minister emphasised that India of the 21st century has shed the old mentality and approach to healthcare. He underlined the five pillars of India’s healthcare strategy namely preventive healthcare, timely diagnosis, free medicines, and treatment, better healthcare facilities and adequate doctors in small towns and lastly expansive use of technology in healthcare services.

Underlining that preventing people from ailments is the highest priority and a first pillar of India’s healthcare policy, the Prime Minister pointed out that diseases tend to make people poorer. Noting that 25 crore people have risen out of poverty in the last 10 years, Modi said one serious ailment can push them back towards poverty. Therefore, he said, the government is paying special attention to cleanliness, Yoga, ayurveda and nutrition.

Highlighting the expansive reach of the vaccination drive, the prime minister pointed out that vaccination coverage remained only around 60 percent ten years ago when crores of children were left out. He lamented the scope of vaccination increasing at a rate of only one to one and a half percent every year and said that it would have taken another 40-50 years to bring every area and every child under the vaccination coverage.

He said the present government prioritised increasing the coverage of vaccination among children and mentioned Mission Indradhanush which involved many ministries working together resulting in an increase in vaccination coverage rate and taking the services to crores of pregnant women and children. He said that the benefits of the Government’s emphasis on vaccination were visible during the covid pandemic while today, this vaccination campaign is going on rapidly across the country.

The prime minister underlined the importance of early detection of disease and mentioned the establishment of lakhs of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the country to detect many diseases like cancer and diabetes at the very beginning. He said that a network of critical care blocks and modern labs are also being built in the country today. “This second pillar of the health sector is saving the lives of lakhs of people”, he added.

Explaining the third pillar of health being low-cost treatment and cheap medicines, the prime minister underlined that the average expenditure on the treatment of diseases has been reduced by 25 percent and also mentioned PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras where medicines are available at 80 percent discount. He informed that the price of heart stents, knee implants and cancer medicines have been significantly reduced while Ayushman Yojana provides free treatment for the poor up to Rs 5 lakh proving to be a lifesaver. He informed that more than 7.5 crore patients have so far availed the benefit of free treatment under Ayushman Yojana.

Elaborating the fourth pillar of the health sector, PM Modi noted that it was going to reduce the dependence on big cities like Delhi-Mumbai for treatment. He added that the Government had established hospitals like AIIMS, medical colleges and super specialty hospitals in small cities in the last decade. The Prime Minister also noted that thousands of new medical seats were added in the last decade to overcome the shortage of doctors in the country. He added that the Government had decided to add 75,000 more seats in the next 5 years.

The prime minister explained the fifth pillar of the health sector was to make health facilities more accessible through technology. He added that today digital health IDs were being created and patients were provided the facility of consultation at home through means like the e-Sanjeevani app. Expressing happiness, Modi noted that till now more than 30 crore people had been consulted with the help of the e-Sanjeevani app. He added that India was also moving towards connecting health services with drone technology.

The prime minister expressed confidence that a healthy and capable younger generation would fulfill the resolve of a Viksit Bharat. He conveyed his best wishes, especially to India’s doctors, paramedics, and other staff.