Belagavi: Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Tuesday encouraged students to explore fields like mental health education and geriatrics, saying while significant research is already underway, more efforts are needed to support those in need. He emphasised that aging can’t be stopped but it can be delayed to enhance quality of life and that requires continued research. “I request students to venture in areas of mental health education and geriatric....where a lot of research is being done, and we should also carry forward that process, because this in an area where people need help,” he added.

Addressing students at the 15th Convocation of KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research here, the Union Minister recalled a time when policy makers expressed concern over a brain drain from the country. “But when the policy under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Modi came, we said that we are not only going to cater the motherland, we will be catering our Motherland and the world. And that is why the seats, which were limited to 45,000 have been increased to 1.18 lakh in undergrads, and that is why, from 37 odds, it has been increased to 54,000 for PG and we are not going to stop here,” he said. Nadda said over the next five years, India will add 75,000 new medical seats. “We are going to have 75,000 extra seats in medical education. And when we say so, it’s not only increasing the seats, we are also trying to see that the medical education is affordable. Medical education is accessible, medical education is for the all sections of the society.” He highlighted that people from modest background are able to become doctors, crediting this shift to change in policy and a transparent system.

Nadda contrasted the 1997 health policy, which focused on the curative part and the tertiary medical education, with the 2017 policy. The new policy of the Modi government was shaped after three-years of consultation with stakeholders.