Health services should reach remotest corners: Ram Nath Kovind

Chamarajanagara: President Ramanath Kovind on Thursday stressed the need for taking health services to the remotest corners of the country. Inaugurating a 450-bed multi-speciality hospital at Chamarajanagara Institute of Medical Science (CIMS), the President said, "We can hope to build an Atmanirbhar Bharat only when our technology, human resources and the access to both come together." State Governor Tavar Chand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai, district minister S T Somashekar, Medical Education Minister Dr Sudhakar and others were present on the occasion.

The hospital constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 180 crore has all the modern facilities. Kovind said that the area around the CIMS is densely forested and many of the people living there are from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. He urged the administration of CIMS and the State government to take steps to make affordable healthcare available to them with the goal of providing universal healthcare for all.

This would be in tune with the true aim of the expansion of medical services in the country. He said that the government of India has already increased the number of AIIMS from 6 to 22. "It is also opening new medical colleges in every district to improve the health infrastructure in the entire country. As new post-graduate colleges are coming up, the existing post-graduate institutes are also encouraged to become Centres of Excellence. But this infrastructure cannot serve its purpose without human resources. All technology would be useless if we don't have a robust delivery mechanism. We need to take our health services to the remotest corners of our country. We can hope to build an Atmanirbhar Bharat only when our technology, human resources and the access to both come together," reiterated the President.

Addressing the gathering, CM Basavaraj Bommai said that the State government would open medical colleges in eight districts, beginning with Haveri, Yadagir and Chickmagalur this year. Minister Dr Sudhakar said that the Union government sanctioned 150 medical colleges during the last seven years.