Highlighting the direct relation between health of an individual, productivity of the individual and the overall health of the society, Vice-President Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today said that, “Health is paramount and priority concern as good health is not only necessary for individual, not for our pursuits, but for the good health of the society. That broadly is also your theme. Friends, having good health is directly related to your productivity, as I said. If you are not healthy, your productivity will not be optimal. Rather than helping others, you might be seeking other’s help.”
Addressing the 64th convocation of National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) at AIIMS Jodhpur, Shri Dhankhar expressed concern over the commercialization and ethical dilution in the medical profession. “Medical professionals serve as guardians and the role is all the more significant in Bharat that is home to one sixth of humanity. Your concern must be beyond clinical care. You have to be, and you have to engage in advocacy of good health. You have to become educators and public health advocates. But the challenges are there now in healthcare. The challenges are commercialization and ethical dilution is required to be addressed. Healthcare is a divine contribution. Healthcare is service. Healthcare has to be far distant from commerce, and health care is antithetical to exploitation”, he added.
Underscoring the need of a healthy society to make ‘Viksit Bharat at 2047’, the Vice-President stressed, “ We are having exponential economic upsurge and phenomenal infrastructure growth. In the last few years, this has made Bharat, which once was part of fragile five economies, as big five global economies, on the way to becoming the third largest global economy. But friends, this aspirational object, very ambitious, requires an 8 fold increase in our per capita income, and this takes me to something which is of your interest. This is attainable only with our population being healthy and fit. One may be committed, sincere, earnest, gifted, devoted, but if that person is not physically healthy, rather than helping the society at large with his dedication and expertise, he will be seeking help. And therefore it is essential that everyone in the country remains healthy”.
Urging the industry leaders to support manufacturing of medical equipment in India, Shri Dhankhar said, “ We must engage and strongly champion locally manufactured medical equipment. Let us demolish the myth – imported items are superior; not any longer. Through this platform I will urge Indian industry, business, trade and commerce to engage into activities of making medical equipment in the country for the nation, also for the world.”
Advocating for a preventive wellness education and cautioning against the risks of digital lifestyle Shri Dhankhar stated, “ I strongly advocate and plead with health care experts, please champion preventive wellness education with a special focus on combating, and this is something new, this is rampant and this is digital lifestyle. This digital lifestyle is coming with risks. That may be existential. I would urge; it is your ordainment to educate families so that they take care of it right from the beginning. We are having youth engaging into drugs, getting into depression, having mental stress and mental stress in a country which according to the IMF is a favourite global destination of investment and opportunity. Therefore they require massive hand-holding to get them away from their attraction with screen dominated world.”
Underlining the focus on good health in our ancient text and scriptures, Shri Dhankhar said that, “ हमारे ऋषि मुनि कह गए और बहुत सही बात कह गए, पहला सुख निरोगी काया ! They put health as a priority, in precedence to everything else. Health, for being, is fundamental and quintessential to one’s making contribution to society. Health, friends, is not just absence of illness, but a state of holistic well-being. Our Vedas, our Puranas, our Upanishads are gold mine of wisdom and knowledge. We need to bestow attention on them. It emanates from them. I quote, “प्रसन्न इन्द्रिय, मन, आत्मन:” The harmony between mind, body and spirit. That is essential for a person to perform and be a complete human being.”
Emphasising on the importance of moderation in life Shri Dhankhar invited attention to ‘Bhagvad Gita’ and stated, “ I would particularly seek to invite attention to a verse in Bhagavad Gita. You would recall the eighteen chapters, if you go through them, they contain ultimate sublimity of wisdom. I am referring to verse sixteen in chapter six.
नात्यश्नतस्तु योगोऽस्ति न चैकान्तमनश्नत:
न चाति स्वप्नशीलस्य जाग्रतो नैव चार्जुन
Now mark what it says, moderation in diet, moderation in thinking, recreation and action are key to healthy living. Lord Krishna indicates, eating too much food or starving, the two extremes, and sleeping too much or remaining awake all the time is not health-friendly.”
Dr. Shiv Sarin, President, NAMS, Dr. Punya Salila Srivastava, IAS, Secretary Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Dr. Rajesh Sudhir Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Dr. G. D. Puri, Director, AIIMS Jodhpur and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.