New Delhi, February 13 (PIB): Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, while addressing the plenary session of the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit here recently, said that the government of India is committed to improving healthcare and medical educationin the country through a holistic approach that not only envisages creating more quality healthcare infrastructure but also trained manpower to run institutions smoothly.

He further said that health is today being linked with development because only a healthy society can become a developed one.

The session was held to discuss the progress and way forward on priorities in the healthcare and medical education sector. In this interactive session, the Uttar Pradesh government also provided information on new medical facilities to the investors and highlighted opportunities available in medical colleges, para medical colleges and diagnostic facilities in the state.

“Uttar Pradesh is the land of Sushrut and Charaka. Under the leadership of Narendra Modi at the centre and Yogi Adityanath in the state, UP has become a land of opportunities”, Dr Mandaviya said.

Encouraging investors and businessmen to encash the opportunities available in the healthcare and medical education sectors in the state, he said that the state government has created a conducive ecosystem for businesses to grow and has introduced long-term policies to encourage investors in the healthcare sector. He also added that because of policies of the government, there are over 100 unicorns in the country today.

Dr Mandaviya also highlighted that government schemes, like the Ayushman Bharat initiative, hav empowered and enabled even the poorest of the poor to benefit from quality treatment, even at private medical institutions.

The Union Health Minister also stated that the country is today 65% dependent on import of medical devices and urged entrepreneurs to reduce this high dependency. Reminding the audience of India successfully reducing the dependency of APIs for critical medicines in recent years, he also encouraged them to innovate in producing medical devices indigenously.

Brajesh Pathak highlighted that investment proposals to the tune of Rs.54,000 crore has been received in the healthcare sector and proposals worth Rs.17,000 crore in medical education sector.

MayankeshwarSharan Singh said that the country is moving towards ‘atmanirbharta’ in the healthcare sector. He urged investors to invest in the rural areas which are witnessing rapid development.

ParthaSarathi Sen Sharma, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Govt of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, Medical Education, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Sangeeta Singh, CEO – State Health Agency, ABPMJAY and senior officials of the Union Government and State Government were present in the meeting.