Bhubaneswar: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Saturday said doctors need to interact with patients and their relatives with compassion and that medical facilities must be affordable for common man.
“Such approach will give the patients a healing touch and help them feel better during their treatment,” Naidu said while addressing the first convocation of the AIIMS here.
Emphasising on rural healthcare and infrastructure, he said former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had laid the foundation stone for AIIMS, Bhubaneshwar in 2003, wanted to “reduce regional imbalance in healthcare and tertiary sector”.
“Highest priority has to be accorded to strengthening primary healthcare and tertiary .We need to increase the number of doctors at health care facilities in rural area. Young doctors should to serve at least a year or two in rural areas before being considered for promotions.”
He appreciated the efforts of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar in reaching out to people in Odisha due to which their dependence on premier hospitals in other states has dwindled. “I appreciate the efforts of AIIMS in catering to needs of patients through its outreach services at Mendhasal, Nayapalli, Tangi and Balasore, which contribute to 12-15% of patients being treated as outpatients.”
Naidu lauded the rich handloom and textiles in Odisha and called it as hallmark of the state. “Odisha is a state rich in culture and tradition and I am pleased to see the graduating students and the members of the academic procession wearing locally sourced ethnic robes so tastefully designed to reflect the rich tradition of handloom textiles of this state.”
Urging the people to practice speaking Odia, their native language at their homes, Naidu said, “Languages come from the womb. We must speak in our mother tongue at home. People in Odisha should speak Odia at their homes. You should learn as many languages as you can but you need to understand the languages of the people, practiced by all classes of people.”
Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and JP Nadda, Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal and state Health Minister Pratap Jena were among those who attended the event.
PNN