Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today interacted with the medical fraternity including doctors, nurses and lab technicians from all over the country via video conference.

Prime Minister hailed the selfless work done by the medical professionals in India  in dealing with COVID-19. He said that the entire nation saluted them during ‘Janta Curfew’ and once again he acknowledged their service to the nation. He said that it is important to acknowledge the contribution of the family members of the medical fraternity also, for being their pillars of support.

Prime Minister said that the challenge in front of the country is unprecedented and historic. At this juncture, the entire nation is looking forward to the medical fraternity with hope, and it is imperative that their morale never goes down even while facing such a huge challenge.

Assuring the medical fraternity of all the support from the government, Prime Minister asked them to follow all the necessary protocols and to take adequate precautions to prevent getting infected. He asked them to guide the general public on the do’s and dont’s to be followed, advice on the importance of self- quarantine and social distancing and provide information about where they can receive treatment.

He urged them to generate all round awareness and also counter promotion of unscientific therapies and misinformation. He also exhorted them to provide rapid training and upgrade of skills of health workers and technicians to be ready to meet the challenge head on.

The representatives of the medical fraternity expressed gratitude to the pioneering leadership of the Prime Minister in this hour of need. They thanked him for the mantra of ‘sankalp and sanyam’. All India Nurses Federation thanked the Prime Minister for recognizing their contribution in the 200th birth year celebrations of Florence Nightingale.

The representatives talked about their efforts to provide medical as well as psychological assistance to those in need. They spoke about the importance of quarantine measures; importance of dedicated hospitals/departments for tackling COVID-19 cases & arrangements for online training modules. They also talked about the importance of community displaying sensitivity to the needs of the medical fraternity in this hour of need.

Prime Minister thanked the medical fraternity for the wide ranging and multi-dimensional suggestions. He said that the government will examine proposals for greater usage of teleconsultations for medical treatment. He also said that security concerns of the healthcare workers and doctors will be treated with utmost importance. He added that it was heartening to hear their optimistic tone which has instilled greater confidence in him that the country will successfully face the challenge and emerge triumphant.

Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also acknowledged their contribution. She talked about the proactive, graded response which has evolved with the developing situation.

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Principal Secretary, Cabinet Secretary and DG, ICMR also participated in the interaction.

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VRRK/AK