ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SHRI RAM NATH KOVIND ON THE OCCASION OF CALL ON BY GENERAL DUTY MEDICAL OFFICERS (GDMOS) OF THE CENTRAL HEALTH SERVICES (CHS) ATTENDING 4TH FOUNDATION TRAINING PROGRAMME
Rashtrapati Bhavan : 23.01.2020
1. I welcome you to Rashtrapati Bhavan. I am delighted to meet you all.
2. I congratulate all the General Duty Medical Officers. You have succeeded in a highly competitive exam with your dedication and hard-work. As much as this success belongs to you — do also remember the efforts of your teachers and professors and the sacrifices of your families that made it possible for you to come so far.
3. As doctors and medical practitioners, your success is not just a personal achievement. I say this because your success ties you intrinsically to the well-being of our people. As doctors serving in public healthcare system, you are a beacon of hope for many who need your care and attention.
4. Today’s India offers unprecedented avenues and diverse career opportunities to our youth. With your academic excellence, your medical skills and your expertise, you could have joined the flourishing private sector or go abroad for a lucrative career. But you have chosen to join the Government, which means you have chosen to serve the country, to make a difference to people’s lives. I appreciate your decision.
5. People regard the doctors as next to God because you have capability to heal and to save lives. Imagine what you will expect from a doctor if you yourself were a patient in need of care. What will comfort you the most? I think, it will be the care shown by your doctor to talk to you about your situation and to listen to you. This alone can transmit feelings of positivity and hope in the patients, making them feel better. Such sensitivity, added to the treatment you prescribe can work wonders for the patients.
6. Always, maintain your humility and compassion as people repose tremendous faith in you and your noble profession. Whenever you feel daunted by the task in front of you or you feel overwhelmed by any professional challenge, think of yourself as the bedrock of a healthy nation. Only when our people are healthy, can we try to achieve our development goals with confidence. In this task, you play an important role.
7. Our country has made great strides in providing healthcare to our people. Diseases such as polio and smallpox, which once claimed so many lives, have been defeated. Our immunisation programme is gaining strength. We have brought down the Maternal Mortality Rate and Infant Mortality Rate.
8. Yet, we still face many challenges and have a long way to go in evolving a holistic healthcare system, one which is uniformly affordable and accessible to our citizens both in rural and urban areas. In this regard, it is a matter of satisfaction that the government has made Universal health coverage a priority. The rollout and success of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana is a critical step in this direction. We have to keep building on this great momentum and all of you will play an important role in doing so.
9. The disease burden in our country is undergoing an evolution. We have to tackle widespread diseases such as TB, malaria and dengue, and at the same time deal with the rising incidence of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, obesity, hypertension, depression etc. I urge you to work towards a multidisciplinary approach to health – from prevention, wellness, cure, community empowerment to research and innovation. As young and bright minds, you must engage in research and innovation and come up with affordable healthcare solutions to benefit the masses.
10. As doctors, you can play a major role in encouraging healthy lifestyles. We can address the increasing stress in our lives with regular exercises and physical activity, practicing Yoga and Meditation. You can be a major influencer in promoting such lifestyles and bringing about a culture of wellness. And, I hope that all of you will also adopt such a healthy lifestyle in your own lives too.
Dear Young Doctors,
11. During your long career ahead, you will be performing many roles in the health field. You will be involved in healthcare delivery, in administering and leading projects, and at times providing policy input. Like any long journey, your respective journeys will be full of challenges as well as ups and downs. But what shall matter is your determination to stay on course. In this satisfying journey you will have an opportunity to make a difference to the lives to so many fellow human-beings. I am sure that, that itself shall be your greatest motivation. Always maintain the highest standards of integrity and professional ethics, as you heal the needy with your magic touch.
12. With those words, I congratulate all of you once again on our success. I wish you the best for a long and meaningful career. All of us have great expectations from you. May you fulfil all of them and more.