Renowned Healthcare Professionals Emphasize the Importance of Healthy Living

Former President Ram Nath Kovind urged doctors to promote healthy lifestyles due to India's growing epidemic of diabetes and other lifestyle diseases. These diseases significantly impact quality of life and are costly. Doctors' advice can inspire patients to adopt healthy practices like balanced diets, exercise, and yoga. Despite progress in healthcare, there are regional imbalances in access, with a shortage of doctors in rural areas. Kovind emphasized the need to correct this discrepancy and encouraged doctors to maintain ethical standards and compassion in their work.

Noting the country is facing the epidemic of lifestyle diseases, former president Ram Nath Kovind on Friday urged doctors to promote the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, saying their word would carry a great weight for their patients.

''..Our country is also facing the epidemic of lifestyle diseases - diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery diseases and lipid disorders are on a rapid rise,'' Kovind said.

''Today, more than 10 crore Indians suffer from diabetes. We have earned the dubious distinction of being the diabetes capital of the world... This is a serious issue,'' he pointed out.

Kovind was addressing the first convocation of post graduate courses of the Government Medical College and Hospital here.

Kovind further said these lifestyle diseases not only drastically reduce the quality of life, but also cost large amounts of money.

Therefore, it is imperative to promote the adoption of a healthy lifestyle as a means to reduce the burden of these lifestyle diseases, he said, adding, ''your words, as doctors, I believe would certainly carry a great weight to your patients.

''Your words would inspire them to adopt healthy practices like eating a balanced diet, performing regular physical exercises and imbibing the practice of Yoga etc. We all know the immense benefits of adopting this traditional, but scientific way of physical and mental fitness,'' he said.

He said India has progressed a lot in providing international quality healthcare to not only our own people, but also to patients from the countries in our neighbourhood and beyond.

''To them, India is a medical destination as high quality medical services are reasonably provided and are delivered with care and compassion,'' he said.

However, the hospitals that provide such high quality care are located mostly in the big cities, he said.

''Despite the strides we have taken as a country, there remain regional, rural, urban and gender imbalances in the availability of healthcare. We are facing a severe shortage of doctors in rural and semi-urban areas. This situation needs to be corrected,'' he said.

The doctors can be given some incentives to serve in rural areas or we can have people trained only for serving in rural areas, he said, emphasising ''without adequately correcting this discrepancy, we cannot rest''.

He urged doctors to always try to maintain the highest ethical standards and professionalism.

''The care, concern, compassion, personal attention and professional services you give to ailing humanity plays a vital role in their recovery. ''Doctors need a sharp mind, but more than that they need compassion, that is 'karuna', a warm compassionate heart,'' he said. Punjab Governor and Union Territory Chandigarh's Administrator Banwarilal Purohit was also present during his address.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)