IMPHAL, October 19: Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh gave assurance that his government will render all possible assistance for the all round development and technological growth in the quest to provide quality healthcare to the public.
He made the statement during the inaugural ceremony of International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA) Surgery- Association of Surgeon of India Manipur Conference (ASIMANICON)-2013 organized by the 18th Annual Conference of the Association of Surgeon of India (ASI) at RIMS Jubilee Hall today.
In his address, the CM further added that the government is dedicated to ensuring a better healthcare system for the citizens and announced that preferential focus will be directed on the social health insurance scheme to cater to the poor and vulnerable people and steps have been initiated to provide quality medical treatment.
The aim of the health sector is to increase life expectancy and providing healthy life by accessing healthcare, he said and added that the key outputs in this regard are to reduce the mortality rate, reduce the impact and prevalence of HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases. He said his government will work to achieve these outputs including ensuring a well-coordinated health system with special focus on communicable and non-communicable diseases.
He continued that “many health-care centres in the country are fast becoming health tourism hotspots and the state owing to its geographic location can become an important centre for catering health services to our brethren in neighboring states and countries especially Myanmar and I hope that our surgeons will help realise this goal in the not very distant future”.
He further lauded the surgeons both from outside the country and outside the state Dr Goro Honda; Dr Kentaro Inoue; Dr Sohei Satoi; Prof KC Kothari from Ahmedabad; Prof Shrikhande and Dr Mandar Nadkarni from Mumbai who have travelled all the way from Japan to convey their research findings and priceless opinions on various surgical experiences.
There is no doubt that problems related to health have a critical impact on the development and prosperity to the country, he observed.
Director, RIMS, Prof S Sekharjit Singh said that IHPA is a forum for the surgeons which is very useful and it has also benefited the public in the healthcare sectors.