India and Australia are exploring cooperation possibilities in
preventive healthcare, trauma care, geriatric medicine, diabetes
research and mental illnesses. This found iteration in the dialogue held
between the visiting Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Tony Abbott, and
the Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, today.Dr Harsh Vardhan, who
later had a meeting with the visiting leader, said, “The warm and
friendly relations that exist between India and Australia could
materialise into manifold streams of cooperation in the health sector.”
Dr Harsh Vardhan took Mr Abbott on a tour of the Jai Prakash Narayan
Apex Trauma Centre of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS). Mr Abbott took keen interest in the state-of-art trauma care
facilities, the integrated Call Centre and the Information Technology
enabled medico legal case sheet handling system.
Mr Abbott warmly
complimented Dr Harsh Vardhan for pioneering the Pulse Polio movement
which led to India becoming polio free. “There is a sense of altruism
and ommitment in the health care systems in both our countries,” he
remarked.The Australian Prime Minister said that the existing
Australia-India Trauma Systems Collaboration (AITSC) aims to reduce the
burden of injury in both countries through development and piloting of
improved systems of care.The Indian Health Minister said that rich
possibilities exist in sharing India’s expertise as well as gaining from
the Australian experience in the training of health care workers and
nurses in geriatric care and emergency medicine. Dr Harsh Vardhan also
spoke of Australia’s deep capacities in telemedicine.
“I have shared with Mr Abbott the optimism evinced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the transformation of India’s health care system into a modern, affordable and accessible model before the developing world. Among other things, the Prime Minister has already cleared the opening of advanced secondary and tertiary health care institutions in every state of the country,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said. India, he pointed out, is a country where young (under 35) dominate. The national disease burden can be substantially brought down if the right information on how to avoid contacting communicable and non-communicable diseases is passed on to the population. “India and Australia both have rich democratic traditions. I am sure that we could gain a lot of advantage from friendship with a country whose own health care system has achieved much,” Dr Harsh Vardhan added.
“I have shared with Mr Abbott the optimism evinced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the transformation of India’s health care system into a modern, affordable and accessible model before the developing world. Among other things, the Prime Minister has already cleared the opening of advanced secondary and tertiary health care institutions in every state of the country,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said. India, he pointed out, is a country where young (under 35) dominate. The national disease burden can be substantially brought down if the right information on how to avoid contacting communicable and non-communicable diseases is passed on to the population. “India and Australia both have rich democratic traditions. I am sure that we could gain a lot of advantage from friendship with a country whose own health care system has achieved much,” Dr Harsh Vardhan added.
