Bangalore: Instill core values in children: President Pranab

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Sep 24: President Pranab Mukherjee, who participated in the golden jubilee celebrations of the Sainik School at Bijapur on Tuesday, exhorted all those involved in the mission of educating the children, the future citizens of India, to do their utmost for inculcating the core civilisational values of discipline, compassion, tolerance, respect for the views of others, regard for the rights of fellow human beings and a sense of duty towards the nation.

Emphasising the need for strengthening the foundation of education system, the President lamented that the civilisational values were being lost sight of.

''If India has to occupy its rightful place in the comity of nations, it is necessary to strive for the improvement of educational system,”  Mukherjee said.

The President, who arrived in Bangalore on Monday, had attended the inaugural function of the JSS Hospital Building in Mysore and visited Bijapur to attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the famous Sainik School.

Mukherjee said Sainik Schools were the result of the far-sighted planning and leadership of stalwarts like former Union Defence Ministers like V K K Menon, Y B Chavan, former chief minister of Karnataka  S Nijalingappa and the hen Union Education MinisterK L Shrimali.

Recalling the famous saying that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton and Harrow, the President paid glowing tributes to the brave soldiers and officers of the Indian army, who stand on eternal vigil at the borders and who are ever ready to support civilian authorities during natural disasters and when help is needed to maintain law and order.
 

Mukherjee Lauds JSS, Suttur Maths
 
In his address at the inauguration of the new hospital building of the Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara (JSS) Mahavidyapeetha on Monday, the President said he considered himself privileged to attend the function.

Religious leaders have for long recognized that people’s spiritual well-being cannot be entirely separated from their temporal concerns. It is only a few organizations that have put this thinking into practice.

The JSS Mahavidyapeetha and the Suttur Math are notable examples, he said pointing out that these religious Maths have established high traditions of selfless service to humanity and constantly fought for the attainment of social rights. They have taken several noteworthy initiatives in education, healthcare, shelter, food, skill training, rural development and social reforms, the President said.         
Karnataka is a pioneer in comprehensive public health services. Even before primary health centers were conceived in the country, the State had established a number of primary healthcare units and a delivery system comprising curative, preventive and rehabilitation healthcare. These efforts have enhanced the health status, increased productivity, and raised living standards of the citizens in this State. Philanthropic causes like JSS Maha-vidya-peetha have also contributed in a large measure to this success.

''Health is an individual’s most primary possession. It is a valuable asset irrespective of the strata one belongs to,” he said and mentioned that the health of a country’s population defines the state of development. A healthy population holds greater capacity to access opportunities for education, knowledge and employment.         

A robust healthcare system depends on the trinity of availability, quality and affordability. Better infrastructure, trained manpower and effective drugs and modern equipments under this Mission have resulted in improved service delivery. Despite the best efforts made, there are areas that call for attention. Greater intervention is required to give the people a world class healthcare system. The public sector health service in India is still limited by its reach. Quality of healthcare delivery is also found wanting. Many people depend on the private sector for health services. They often fail to shoulder the burden of expensive medical treatment and plunge into poverty. People require the means to access specialty medical treatment and not stand denied due to high costs.
 

Need for Harnessing Technology
 
Technology has to be harnessed in healthcare to increase access to quality medical treatment. It is heartening to note that the telemedicine project, using satellite technology, has connected remote health centres with super specialty hospitals in urban areas. This has helped expert healthcare consultation to reach the needy and under-served people. Other innovative uses of technology have to be explored.

Effective and inexpensive cure for many diseases has to be found. Sophisticated equipments for medical procedures that are presently imported have to be manufactured indigenously. Research centres and medical colleges have to be encouraged for innovations. To have a large pool of high-calibre doctors in our country, medical education has to be strengthened. Our doctors have to be provided exposure to latest advances in their fields of specialization, he added.

Studies have indicated that investments in preventive public health are both pro-poor and pro-growth. Our health coverage strategy has to look beyond medical cure and intervention. Preventive healthcare has to assume importance due to the increasing trend of lifestyle diseases. Our health system has to gear itself to treat people and also provide guidance about prevention of medical conditions.

A ‘healthy India’ is possible. For that, disease prevention, early detection and treatment have to be encouraged. A healthy living has to be fostered. Balanced diet, physical activity, lifestyle management and environment care have to be promoted to achieve well-being of mind and body. For ushering in healthy behaviour and practices, efforts have to be directed at change, in both individuals and communities.         

There is a need to increase our spending in the health sector. Public expenditure on health in India is 1.2 per cent of GDP. This is much lower than the 4 per cent plus levels in countries like US, UK, Australia, Norway and Brazil.

A question raised by some today is whether India can afford to invest in order to ensure universal health coverage, or basic education, food security and employment guarantee. If we want our nation to progress; to be counted as one of the advanced countries in the world, we have to build our soft power. We can traverse the road ahead only if we invest adequately in our population. We have to enhance people’s capabilities by ensuring health and nutritional security, providing quality education and ensuring a decent standard of life.

The right question is to ask whether India can afford not to invest in ensuring these basic constituents of living. The answer is no if we want peace, stability and prosperity. As public resources have several pressing uses, private healthcare providers have to be encouraged and suitably engaged to provide quality healthcare services, he said.