Growth of health infrastructure touches the lives of fiscally vulnerable, says the Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar

“Facilities that had rarely been found within India until a few decades ago are now available in the country at the divisional level and are of the highest quality,” this was highlighted by the Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar during his address at the 2nd International Symposium on Health Technology Assessment (ISHTA), 2023. Describing technology as a game changer for good health and happiness, Shri Dhankhar noted that India has set an example in the world where technology is being used to provide efficient services to the people.

The Vice President lauded ISHTA’s objective of ensuring ‘Availability, Affordability and Accessibility’ of quality healthcare to all. He commended Ayushman Bharat as the ‘world’s largest, highly transparent and impactful mechanism’, which has enabled the creation of health infrastructure and institutions that ease the lives of the ‘fiscally vulnerable’. Shri Dhankhar also made note of other initiatives such as Jan Aushadhi Kendras, e-Sanjeevani and Swachh Bharat Mission which have contributed immensely towards securing good health of people at large.

Underlining India’s successful handling of the COVID pandemic, Vice President Dhankhar drew attention to India’s Vaccine Maitri initiative. This, he said, is in spirit of India’s age-old ethos of ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbukam’, which sees the world as a family. He urged all stakeholders and global leaders to come together with the same belief and conviction to help secure a world order of health and happiness.

ISHTA-2023 was organised by the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO) and Centre for Global Development. The symposium also hosted a Market Place that showcased the prominent HTA recommendations that have been implemented by the State and the Central Government.

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, Shri Sunil Kumar Gupta, Secretary to Vice-President of India, Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research, Dr Roderico Ofrin, World Health Organization Representative to India and representatives from 23 countries were among the dignitaries present at the event.