India has the potential to become the prime health tourism destination, said Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar.

NEW DELHI, Oct 12 (The CONNECT) - Health and Education are twins that need to be well looked after and nurtured for our present and future well-being, said Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Inaugurating the FICCI’s 16th Annual Healthcare conference – FICCI HEAL 2022 with theme the, ‘Healthcare Transformation: Driving India’s Economic Growth’, the Vice President yesterday stressed that healthcare is one of the most important pillars of nation-building.

Dhankar called for a collective effort and a greater public- private partnership for healthcare infrastructure expansion in the country. Noting that Indian healthcare demands are of a great scale and diversity, he called for greater collaboration between all stakeholders to achieve the “collective dream of Universal Healthcare”.

On the government’s initiative in positioning India as a global hub for medical and wellness tourism through the 'Heal in India' initiative, Dhankhar called for redoubling the efforts to utilise India’s potential to become a ‘prime health tourism destination’.

He lauded the healthcare industry and the trade bodies such as FICCI for the thriving medical tourism in India.

Recalling India’s experience with the COVID pandemic, the Vice President paid rich tributes to the healthcare workers and scientists for their contributions and added that India has not only vaccinated its citizens in a short period, but also exported vaccines to many nations.

He also noted that thanks to the tireless efforts of the healthcare sector, India has registered a significant decline in health indicators such as the Infant Mortality Rate since 1990 and is on course to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets.

Referring to the mega health programme, ‘Ayushman Bharat’, Dhankhar said that the scheme has been instrumental in bridging the gap between rich and poor in terms of accessibility of healthcare services in the country.