Working to build one medical college for every 3 LS seats: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 7

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the government was working to build one medical college for every three Lok Sabha segments after accomplishing the task of expanding undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats to boost the national health human resource pool.

Addressing the Jan Aushadhi Divas event in virtual mode today, the PM said India was stressing generic medicines for affordable and quality healthcare and the network of Jan Aushadhi centres, which provide low-cost quality generic drugs, had been expanded to 7,500 stores. The 7,500th store was opened in Shillong today.

After interacting with the beneficiaries of the government’s generic medicine push through the Jan Aushadhi kendras, the PM noted the stores had helped the poor and middle-class families save Rs 3,600 crore per year so far, on account of providing low-cost drugs.

“To promote the scheme, the incentive under it has been increased from Rs 2 lakh to 5 lakh with additional incentive of Rs 2 lakh for Dalit, tribal women and people of the northeast,” he said after scheme beneficiaries and people related to running the stores shared experiences about helping people access inexpensive generic drugs.

Beneficiaries called the kendras “Modi ki dukaan.” The PM lauded how Indian traditional medicines and Covid vaccines had acquired worldwide reputation. “There was a time people thought millets and whole grains were the foods for the poor, but that is changing . The UN has decided to declare 2023 the International Year of Millets,” the PM said.