Take health insurance to curb rising costs: M Venkaiah Naidu

Nellore: Union minister for urban development M. Venkaiah Naidu suggested people to take health insurance policy as a counter against rising costs of health care. He observed that poor are not able to get better health facilities in the country due to scarcity of doctors and lack of proper infrastructure facilities.  In this backdrop the government of India proposes to set up a medical institution in each district with the support of respective state governments to produce more doctors, he added.

The Union minister was speaking after inaugurating a free-health camp for ear, nose and tongue patients, being conducted in association with the Care Hospitals at Swarna Bharat Trust, at Venkatachalam mandal in Nellore in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives utmost importance to promote medical education in the country and added that because of efforts of NDA government around 5,000 additional medical seats have become available in country for the resent academic year of which around 500 are in AP alone.

He informed that Centre had proposed to increase PG medical seats and also brought down the cut off marks in the recently concluded NEET examination resulting in the increase in more number of students qualifying in the entrance test. The Union Minster said due to change in life-style habits people are prone to new type of diseases hence taking an insurance policy would help them in getting medical treatment without incurring any financial burden.

India spends 4.3 per cent of its budget for health sector while the developed nations spend 18 per cent of their budget. He stressed the need for private participation in health sector. He lauded the services of doctors who participated in the health camp at the Swarna Bharat trust.