New Delhi: As Mansukh Mandavia, Union Health Minister, does not believe in resting on laurels, he made a leap of faith in first ever Padma Awardee Doctors’ congregation, telling cream of the crops to set their sights higher than Padma Awards and reach for Nobel in Medicine. Reminding them of their innate capacity to excel globally in medicine, Mr Mandavia said they must shine in both mass and class. Mr Mandavia expressed his faith in their competence to ace and race the best in the world.
Invoking PM Modi’s fervent call to Indians to get rid of the slave mentality, Mr Mandavia said India has huge potential to lead the world in the domain of medicine. During COVID pandemic, he said, the whole world witnessed India’s resilience and its talent to rise to the occasion. Referring to his participation in World Health Assembly, Mr Mandavia said, ‘India’s power in healthcare is being felt and being appreciated in the apex congregation.’Mr Mandavia was addressing Padma Doctors congregation on August 22 during Bharat Swaasth Mahotsav. He also praised the part the doctors played in Government’s efforts to cope with the Covid catastrophe that took the whole world unawares.He said people and the government will never forget the role of doctors and health professionals who risked their lives to save people from deadly virus. He praised India’s triumph over corona by making its own vaccines and reaching astronomical number of doses administered.
Mr Mandavia said it is high time that India assumed the leadership role in healthcare. India is well on its course to become global hub of healthcare. Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, MoS Health, underlined the fact that the process of selection of Padma awardees has undergone a sea change as commoners are being bestowed upon by the highest civilian award. In the new process of selection, emphasis is not on the name of the nominee, but on their work,’. Padma awards are now catching up with the meritorious and real achievers. Dr Pawar also praised PM Modi for making healthcare his prime focus.
Dr Swadeep Srivastava, Founder & Chairman, HEAL Foundation said, ‘The contribution of doctors in enriching the healthcare landscape in India is immense. Their hard work and unwavering commitment have been instrumental in overcoming many of the health challenges in India since Independence and making healthcare accessible and affordable to all. The Padma Doctors Congregation has been organized to pay tribute to Padma doctors for the services they rendered to the people of the country.’
