Rajnath Singh stresses on need for comprehensive health at NAMS event

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday stressed the need for comprehensive health, including physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions, to fully realise the benefits of the demographic dividend.

Virtually addressing the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) on its 63rd Foundation Day in New Delhi, he stated that the country's strong and youthful people resources must be nurtured properly to leverage their strength in making the country stronger and more self-reliant.

Highlighting health as a key element in the development of any nation, Rajnath Singh said the overall development of the country is possible only if its citizens are healthy.

People who are healthier will be able to contribute more to the country's progress, which is why the health sector is critical for our country. It is for this reason that doctors and medical practitioners are respected and revered, said the Defence Minister.
 

‘Focus on research on public health-related issues'

Listing out the steps taken by the government to ensure health for all, he also called on the medical fraternity to focus more on research on public health-related issues.

"During Covid-19 pandemic we all realised how important research is in the health sector. The benefits of any research done in the health sector are not only quick, but with that research, we can help our country as well as many other countries around the world. Even during Covid, we saw how the vaccines made by Indian scientists and researchers benefited not only us but the whole world, he added.

'Healthy India, Strong India’

The Union minister expounded on the importance of the larger dimensions of health, which go beyond having no illness and are related to the vision of 'Healthy India, Strong India'.

"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), good health encompasses the complete physical, mental, and social well-being of a person. That is, health does not just mean that you do not have any disease; health is a much wider concept than this. It includes a healthy lifestyle, physical fitness, mental health, and social well-being," he said.

While emphasising the importance of social well-being, which he sees as the third dimension of health alongside physical and mental health, Singh also expressed concern that social well-being is facing challenges as people migrate from their homes to urban centres and other places in search of work.

"Cut off from their roots, they feel lonely and insecure which impacts their health adversely," he said.

Rajnath Singh added that if such trends continue, they could jeopardise the institution of marriage and make single-person families more widespread.

"It may appear to be a matter of freedom of choice, but in reality, it is a big social crisis pushing human beings towards loneliness, which needs to be avoided. Many medical studies indicate that loneliness is the root cause of a person's physical, mental, and psychological problems. We need to reflect on whether we are destroying our social well-being in the name of so-called modernity," he said.