‘Seva’ (सेवा). Service.
‘Athithi Devobhava’ (अतिथि देवो भवः). “ Guest is God ”.
These are the principles that are deeply rooted in Indian culture and customs. Following these age old values, the government of India has planned to introduce a ‘Heal in India’ initiative which focuses on establishing the nation as a global leader in health and medicine and to expand the Medical Value Tourism (MVT) industry. This initiative will be a major coalition between the Central and State governments and the industry to provide the best healthcare to foreign patients.
For ‘Heal in India’ to be properly implemented, a comprehensive online repository of every type of health-care worker in the nation, from registered nurses and surgeons to patient advocates, will be formed by the Central Government as part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), which provides both Indian citizens and health-care workers with specific IDs. This repository will prove beneficial for external parties, such as foreign patients and employers to efficiently choose and match with professionals according to their requirements.
All of this is aimed at establishing gateways for the advancement of India’s health sector by providing well-qualified health personnel, breaking down language barriers, and by creating positive and systematic government policies.
Although the ‘Heal in India’ initiative is a rather imperative step to put India on the map as a Global Healthcare Icon, there are a few crucial concerns that have been raised. The accessibility and affordability of healthcare services in India, as well as the level of advanced technologies, is indeed higher when compared on a global scale, but the distribution of said services and facilities is uneven. There is a lack of medical personnel in many states, and it is speculated that in the process of providing services to foriegn patients, the local natives might be neglected or cannot obtain the services due to its exhaustion. The parties raising these issues have coined an expression “Heal in India, then Heal by India”.
If these issues are properly addressed and dealt with, ‘Heal in India’ can prove to be a strong and influential pillar of the Indian economy and infrastructure.
