Date:16/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/16/stories/2008101659130800.htm

Other States - Puducherry

Quality medical care facilities should be available in villages: Kalam

Serena Josephine

Says special concessions should be given to doctors who work in rural areas

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

making his point: Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam with Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss at the inauguration of new buildings of JIPMER in Puducherry on Wednesday.

PUDUCHERRY: Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Wednesday said there was a need to address together many aspects of medical innovation, technology, training, public awareness, sanitation and ethics to keep the country free from malaria and tuberculosis. This would also help to bring maternal and infant mortality ratio to near zero and reduce cost of medicines.

After dedicating the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) to the nation as an Institute of National Importance and inaugurating the newly constructed projects, Mr. Kalam said he wanted to see all Primary Health Centres in the country to be 100 per cent functional.

“The doctors should go and work in villages. The villages should get infrastructure on a par with urban areas and special concessions should be given to doctors who work in rural areas. Quality medical care facilities should be available in villages.”

JIPMER should create a synergy between teaching and research right from the undergraduate education, he said.

“JIPMER should be a partner in the preparation of research road map. It should create a virtual education hub so that quality education can reach out to the nation. The institution should become a virtual collaboration hub where worldwide scientists can share knowledge,” he said.

The former President said JIPMER should transform into an international institute of medicine where scientists and medical technologists work together to solve many health-related problems.

“The institution should encourage conducting multi-disciplinary research among students and faculty with leading medical and engineering institutions located in different parts of the country,” he added.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss said Rs.384 crore would be allotted to JIPMER for constructing a 400-bed maternity and child hospital in the coming years.

“Every year, around 10 lakh persons are affected by cancer in the country. We will allot Rs. 35 crore to the Regional Cancer Centre here. For the first time, the Ministry has created 731 new posts for JIPMER,” he said.

Talking about the ban on smoking in public places across the country, Dr. Ramadoss said, “Every year, 10 lakh persons die in India due to tobacco-related diseases. Around 40 per cent of health problems were due to tobacco. Public and doctors should come forward to implement the ban.”

Emphasising the need for a prohibition on alcohol, he said young people should stay away from tobacco products, junk food, alcohol and drugs. “The government should bring a prohibition on alcohol. The age of initiation of alcohol has come down from 28 years to 19 years. It now starts at 13 years.

He said faculty of JIPMER could suggest the type of curriculum for the institution. In the last fours years, Rs.352 crore was sanctioned for JIPMER, he said.

Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning V. Narayanasamy asked the Union Health Ministry to increase the number of seats in the Puducherry quota at JIPMER.

Union Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi; Lieutenant Governor Govind Singh Gurjarl; Chief Minister V. Vaithilingam; Home and Health Minister E. Valsaraj; Member of Parliament M. Ramadass; Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Naresh Dayal; Director of JIPMER K.S.V.K Subba Rao; and Medical Superintendent A.K. Das spoke.