QUALITY HEALTHCARE MUST REACH THE LAST PERSON IN SOCIETY: LOK SABHA SPEAKER

New Delhi, Jul 13, 2026 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday stressed the need to ensure that quality and affordable healthcare reaches every citizen, saying that the government and the private sector must work together to strengthen the country’s healthcare system, medical research and innovation.

Speaking after inaugurating Ashoka Health City in Nashik, Maharashtra, LS Speaker Birla said healthcare should be accessible to the last person in society and called for greater collaboration between public and private institutions to achieve this objective.

Highlighting the importance of expanding healthcare infrastructure, he said the Centre has undertaken several initiatives to improve medical services, including increasing seats in medical colleges, strengthening health infrastructure and implementing flagship schemes such as Ayushman Bharat. He noted that the private sector has also played an important role by establishing new medical colleges, upgrading healthcare facilities and promoting research alongside treatment.

LS Speaker Birla emphasised that medical institutions must prepare themselves to tackle both existing and emerging diseases by investing in research and innovation. He urged Ashoka Health City to develop dedicated research and innovation facilities in addition to its Mother and Child Hospital, cancer care and super-speciality services.

“Government and private institutions must work together to strengthen healthcare, research and innovation,” he said, adding that India must continue to enhance its capabilities in medical science to address future health challenges.

Referring to India’s response during the COVID-19 pandemic, LS Speaker Birla said Indian scientists made a significant contribution by developing vaccines that served humanity during an unprecedented global crisis. He said the experience underscored the importance of continued investment in scientific research, technology and healthcare innovation.

The Lok Sabha Speaker also called for establishing research and innovation centres in universities and colleges, noting that new diseases could emerge unexpectedly and require robust scientific preparedness. Strengthening medical infrastructure, he said, must go hand in hand with investment in research and technological advancement.

Expressing satisfaction over the facilities being developed at Ashoka Health City, LS Speaker Birla said the institution would benefit not only Nashik but the entire North Maharashtra region. Referring to the newly inaugurated Mother and Child Hospital, he stressed the need for quality healthcare dedicated to maternal and child welfare and called for sustained efforts to reduce infant mortality in the country.

The Lok Sabha Speaker urged private healthcare institutions to expand their services with a spirit of social responsibility so that quality treatment becomes accessible to all sections of society. He expressed confidence that Ashoka Health City would emerge as a major centre for affordable and quality treatment of serious diseases while also contributing to medical research.

Emphasising the role of medical education in nation-building, LS Speaker Birla said future doctors should be encouraged to serve in villages and remote areas to bridge healthcare disparities. He stressed that every citizen, particularly those in rural and underserved regions, should have access to quality treatment in times of serious illness.

Earlier, LS Speaker Birla described Nashik as a land of spiritual consciousness, social awareness and valour. He referred to the Trimbakeshwar Mahadev Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.