World Health Day: 'Govt focus on ensuring good quality, affordable healthcare to citizens', says PM Modi

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On the occasion of World Health Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the government is working tirelessly to augment India's health infrastructure with a focus on ensuring good quality and affordable healthcare to citizens. World Health Day is celebrated every year to raise awareness about the ongoing health issues that concern people across the world.

"Greetings on World Health Day. May everyone be blessed with good health and wellness. Today is also a day to express gratitude to all those associated with the health sector. It is their hardwork that has kept our planet protected," Modi tweeted.

The government is working tirelessly to augment India's health infrastructure, he said, adding that the focus is on ensuring good quality and affordable healthcare to the country's citizens. "It makes every Indian proud that our nation is home to the world's largest healthcare scheme, Ayushman Bharat," he said in a series of tweets.

"I feel very happy when I interact with beneficiaries of schemes such as PM Jan Aushadhi. Our focus on affordable healthcare has ensured significant savings for the poor and middle class," Modi asserted. 

At the same time, the government is strengthening the Ayush network to further boost overall wellness, he said. "In the last 8 years, the medical education sector has undergone rapid transformations. Several new medical colleges have come up. Our Government's efforts to enable study of medicine in local languages will give wings to the aspirations of countless youngsters," the Prime Minister said. 

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya asked the public to take a pledge to do exercise. Mandaviya tweeted that he rides a bicycle to keep himself physically and mentally fit.

Why World Health Day is celebrated 

Declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), World Health Day is celebrated on April 7 every year. It is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948.

World Health Day is a reminder of how much health remains important to us in our everyday lives. Therefore, we must eat well and do regular exercise to lead a healthy life. 

According to the global health agency estimates, more than 13 million deaths around the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes. These include heart disease and stroke, accidents, respiratory illnesses, diarrhoeal diseases, and malaria among others. In addition, it includes the climate crisis which is the single biggest health threat facing humanity.

Experts say that human health is directly interlinked with the health of the physical environment and biodiversity. The link is much evident in the increase in the number of illnesses because of pollution and our environmental health.

Vikram Thaploo, CEO of Apollo Telehealth, said that one of the ways to tackle both the public health challenges and the risks to the planet is through the adoption of cutting-edge technologies that can really make a difference. 

Speaking about the importance of having a healthy environment for living a healthy life, Dr Deepak Namjoshi, Medical Director - CritiCare Asia Multispeciality Hospital, said that the world has seen many casualties due to extreme weather events such as heatwaves, floods and drought. Therefore, it is necessary to spread awareness about the overall health and well-being of people across the world.

'Our Planet, Our Health'

The theme for this year’s World Health Day is 'Our Planet, Our Health'. Amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and rising levels of pollution, diseases like cancer, asthma and heart diseases and many more are affecting young people. On this year's World Health Day, the WHO is focussing global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on wellbeing.

Divya Jain, director & founder of The Class of One, said that World Health Day is an important day to remind ourselves about the most important thing that we neglect the most is our health. "It is important to educate children that health comes first and what choices they should make to keep themselves fit and fine."

Vikas Chawla, Founder & Director, Vedas Cure, said that to improve the health of the planet, it is important to adopt healthy and environmentally friendly measures. 

"The theme of World Health Day 2022 is ‘Our Planet, Our Health’. The Ayurvedic health parameters have always placed emphasis on healing oneself by endorsing the intake of healthy nutrition and yogic practices. By healing oneself, we can heal the planet because positive change emanates from us first and then takes over the universe, being a fundamental pillar of much-needed change,” Vikas said.

"We should be mindful of the environment around us, keeping our surroundings clean enough while striking a balance between our lifestyle needs and the needs of the environment in a sustainable manner," Ashok Patel, CEO and Founder Max Ventilator, said.

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