Chandigarh, November 28 - Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal said that the process of opening one medical college in every district is underway to meet the demand of doctors in the state.  He said that a target has been set to prepare 2500 doctors every year and for this the MBBS seats have been increased to 1685 from 700 in 2014.

The Chief Minister was  addressing the 'Doctors Day Award function' organized under the aegis of Haryana Medical Council at Indradhanush Auditorium, Sector 5, Panchkula today .

On this occasion ,  Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal and Health Minister, Sh. Anil Vij honoured 90 doctors above the age of 75 years by presenting them with the 'Vat Vriksha Award'.  The 92-year old Dr. R.S. Sangwan from Sirsa, was also among those who received the honour.

The Chief Minister said that the doctors of today's  generation should take inspiration from the doctors of the older generation and serve the humanity with same spirit and devotion.  He said that at present the number of doctors in both private and government sector in Haryana is about 13,000-14,000, whereas according to the UNO norms, there should be one doctor per 1000 population.  If we consider the population of Haryana as 2.70 crore in 2021, then 27,000 doctors are required.  To meet this demand, a target has been set to produce 2500 doctors every year, he added.

Sh Manohar Lal said that required support and cooperation is also being received from the Central Government in the medical sector.  The National Cancer Institute has been established at Badsa in Jhajjar district.  Apart from this, the process of setting up an AIIMS each in Rewari and Panchkula is going on. The  land measuring  25 acres in Panchkula has already been handed over to the central government .  He said that a doctor is treated like a God by the patients.  If after a long illness his state of mind becomes such that now death is certain, then at that time he gives himself up to the doctor.  Doctors also leave no stone unturned to save the patient.  The Chief Minister recalled that when he himself was admitted in Medanta for the treatment of  COVID-19, he had closely observed the spirit of serving doctors.

The Chief Minister further said that along with MBBS seats, about 600 seats for PG courses have also been increased.  He said that in allocation of budget also, priority is being given to the education and health departments in comparison to  other departments. There is an increase of 5-7 percent in the annual budget of other departments, while there is an increase of 12-15 percent in the budget of education and health departments.

The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi's vision is that people should not be ill, for this it is necessary to have a healthy body.  To realize this vision of the Prime Minister, wellness centres and yoga centres are being opened to promote Ayurveda and other medical systems.

The Chief Minister appreciated the title "Vat Vriksha" chosen by the Haryana Medical Council to honour the elderly doctors. The banyan tree also protects the environment.  The Haryana government has also started a pension scheme of Rs 2500 per annum for the upkeep of trees above the age of 75 years.  We can fulfill the spirit of 'Sarvobhavanti Sukhinah Sarvebhavanti Niramaya' only if there is a longevity of both flora and fauna, he asserted.

Haryana  Health Minister, Sh. Anil Vij in his address said that  the Health Department has done a commendable job in controlling the first and second wave of Corona.  He said that the state is fully prepared to deal with a new variant which has been found in South Africa.  Just like the rules set to fight the corona in the first and second wave, the same rules will be followed and testing will be increased. He said that  people  also need to be more careful.

-Haryana will be self-sufficient in terms of oxygen

The Health Minister said that the lack of oxygen was felt during the second wave of Corona, but the team of Health Department under the leadership of Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal acted promptly and resolved it.  He said that now orders have been issued that it is mandatory for all hospitals, both government or private, having capacity of more than 50 beds, to set up a PSA plant for oxygen supply.

2.83 crore vaccine  have  so far been administered in Haryana.

He said that  Haryana has also performed better in the matter of corona vaccination.  Out of the 2.83 crore vaccine, 90 percent that is 1.84 crore people have got the first dose and 49 percent people have got the second dose.  He said that COVID-19 came in front of us like a challenge and to face this challenge, we were constantly guided by the Chief Minister and we also fought with success in both  waves.

Salute to the Corona Warriors, who bravely fought against COVID.

Sh. Vij said that he salutes all doctors, paramedical staff and ambulance drivers who bravely fought against the pandemic. He said that he knows how deadly this disease can be. When the first case of this disease was reported in his city and a containment zone was created, no one came in that area. But our doctors and medical staff worked day and night for corona patient .  Despite knowing the risk they  discharged their duties with dedication  to serve the corona patients.

A 'Wall of Memory' was built in the memory of the martyred Corona warriors.

Sh. Vij said that  many people have sacrificed their lives during this period, out of which 28 people belongs to Health Department .  He said that in their memory 'Wall of Memory' will be built in the headquarters and district hospitals. He said that in the coming 100- 200 years, people  will remember how this disease came and what arrangements were made at that time.

Sh. Vij said that  he has also constituted a team of Medical Education Department and Health Department which will work to write the history of COVID-19 so that the future generations can know how the people of that time had faced this deadly disease. RTPCR labs are being set up in all 22 districts, he said, adding that Haryana is the first state where RTPCR labs are being set up in civil hospitals of every district for corona testing. At present we have RTPCR labs in 18 districts .

President, Haryana Medical Council, Dr. RK. Aneja, Member, Dr. Ved Beniwal, Director General of Health Services Haryana, Dr. Veena Singh also addressed on this occasion.

Dr. Pradeep Bhardwaj and Dr. Rosie Aneja engaged everyone with patriotic songs.

Dr. RK Aneja said that 90 doctors above the age of 75 have been felicitated during the ceremony. Sh. Manohar Lal and Sh. Anil Vij also appreciated the senior most doctors for their courage and determination and said that doctors are a source of inspiration for all.

Among those present on this occasion included Deputy Commissioner Sh. Mahavir Kaushik, Deputy Commissioner of  Police, Sh. Mohit Handa, Registrar, Haryana Medical Council, Dr. Sandeep Chhabra and other members of the council and doctors were also present.