Efforts on to make healthcare sector future ready : NITI Aayog member V K Paul

NITI Aayog member V K Paul on Tuesday said the government is committed to fully re-energising the primary healthcare sector to make it future ready.

Addressing the ‘FICCI HEAL 2024' conference, Paul said a 'Viksit Bharat' also means a $32 trillion economy along with a rise in per capita income to $18,000 from the current $2,500.

"We are not just running a scheme but are building the entire primary healthcare system which will be future ready and will serve our nation's journey to Viksit Bharat by 2047," he said.

Paul said the health sector will be the base for this journey and it should try to outshine other sectors, he added. Highlighting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector, Paul said the government is ensuring that the new technologies are validated.

"AI for health leadership belongs to India. We would like India to not only become the biggest consumer of AI for health but also biggest creator of AI for health,” he said, urging the industry to come forward for this.

Paul also stated that the government is working to create a robust healthcare system in India which will help increase the average life expectancy from 71 years to 85 years by 2047 along with increasing the physician ratio and hospital bed ratio.

He said the government is creating more capacity to deal with expansion of Ayushman Bharat scheme, which will now cover all citizens above 70 years of age. "The government is ready with extra capacity to handle the elderly through dignity,” he noted.