BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI: Union minister of state for health Ashwini Kumar Choubey has reiterated that over 1.5 lakh health and wellness clinics will be set up by 2022 across the country to provide comprehensive and quality primary care close to the patients.

Mr Choubey was speaking at the ‘CME Summit and Excellence Awards’ organized by Indian Health and Wellness Council in New Delhi.

The minister claimed that under the government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat scheme 1.5 lakh health sub centers and primary health centers would be upgraded into wellness centers with modern facilities for treatment.

These wellness centers will be equipped to provide treatment for ailments such as blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and old age-related ailments, Mr Choubey added.

Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Dr P D Vaghela, highlighted the stringent sampling and testing rules in India and added that the low failures indicate the good quality of generic medicines.

Dr Vaghela said that fixing the price ceiling for medicines has been immensely beneficial for the poor patients.

Dr Arun Kumar Gupta, President, Delhi Medical Council, stated, “We have launched our CME programs recently. But that is not enough. A doctor needs to deal with 28 laws to run a small clinic and as many as 100 laws to run a hospital.”

“The doctors know the science of medicines but we need to teach them the art of it – teach empathy for patients. Besides, financial management and good self-care should also be a part of the CME curriculum for the doctors,” said Dr Gupta.