Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the 33rd Convocation of The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University through video conference. More than 21000 candidates were conferred with Degrees and Diplomas in the Convocation. Governor of Tamil Nadu Shri Banwarilal Purohit was present on the occasion.

Addressing the students, the Prime Minister expressed happiness to see more than 70% of the candidates receiving Degrees and Diplomas were women. He congratulated all the graduates and conveyed his special appreciation to the women candidates. He said it is always special to see women leading from the front in any field. When this happens it is a moment of pride and a moment of joy.

The Prime Minister said the success of the students and the institution would have made the great MGR very happy. Shri Modi recalled that MGR’s governance was full of compassion towards the poor. The subjects of healthcare, education and empowerment of women were dear to him. He said India is honoured to be working in the health sector for our Tamil sisters and brothers in Sri Lanka where MGR was born. Ambulance service financed by India is widely used by Tamil community in Sri Lanka. He said these efforts in healthcare that too for the Tamil community would have made MGR very happy.

The Prime Minister said that there is great appreciation and respect for Indian medical professionals, scientists and pharma professionals. He said India is producing medicines and vaccines for the world. In COVID-19, India is having one of the lowest death rates and highest recovery rates in the world. He said the Indian health ecosystem is being seen with new eyes, new respect and new credibility. He added the learnings from this pandemic can help us fight other diseases like TB as well.

The Prime Minister said, the Government is transforming the entire medical education and health sector. The National Medical Commission will rationalize the norms to set up new medical colleges, bring greater transparency and improve the quality and availability of Human Resources in this sector. He said during the last 6 years, MBBS Seats increased by more than 30 thousand, which is a rise of more than 50% from 2014. The number of PG seats increased by 24 thousand which is a rise of around 80% from 2014. In 2014, there were 6 AIIMS in the country but in the last 6 years, 15 more AIIMS have been sanctioned across the country.

The Prime Minister announced that the Government has permitted the establishment of 11 new medical colleges in those districts in Tamil Nadu which do not have a medical college. For these medical colleges, the Government of India would give more than Rs 2000 crore. He said PM AatmaNirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana announced in the budget would boost the capacities of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare for detection and cure of new and emerging diseases.

The Prime Minister said Doctors are among the most respected professionals in our country and this respect has gone up even more after the pandemic. This respect is because people know the seriousness of your profession where many times, it is literally a life and death question for someone. He said to be serious and to look serious are two different things and requested the students to keep their sense of humour intact. He said this will also help them to cheer up their patients and keep their morale high. He advised the students to focus on their health and fitness as they take care of the nation’s health. He gave a call to the students to rise above self-interest and said doing so will make them fearless.

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DS/AK