SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SHRIMATI PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL, AT THE FIRST CONVOCATION OF THE SRI VENKATESWARA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES AT TIRUPATI

Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, 7th July 2008

Dear Students and Faculty Members,

Ladies and Gentleman,

It gives me immense pleasure to be in this temple town amidst medical luminaries, faculty members and students on the occasion of the First Convocation of the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences.

The Tirumala hills are said to be the world's second oldest rock mountains and Tirupati is considered as Kaliyuga Vaikuntha or Heaven on Earth. It is a beautiful place and the students of this Institute are fortunate that they are pursuing their studies in these very conducive conditions that prevail here. The Faculty Members also, I am sure, feel it a privilege to be working in an atmosphere of serenity, as they impart knowledge to their students.

Today, there are 271 medical colleges all over the country out of which about 31,000 medical graduates pass out every year. But we only have half a doctor for every 1,000 persons as compared with 2.3 per 1,000 in the United States. Moreover, the penetration of health services in rural areas is particularly low. We, therefore, need many more doctors and many more institutions. While increasing medical schools in India, we cannot compromise on quality. Their growth should be in a manner that the best of education is available to the medical students. India ranks among the world's leading nations with regard to advances in medical technology. That apart, 'medical tourism' has gained prominence because of the cost advantages our nation offers. We, therefore, must constantly strive for high standards of medical education and professional ethics.

There is a saying in Sanskrit, "Vaidyo Narayano harih," which means that a doctor is a personification of the Almighty. Such is the esteem for the medical fraternity in our cultural heritage! It is the medical practitioner who is cast in a special role to alleviate human suffering from various illnesses and diseases. The medical profession is one of giving, where a doctor becomes not only an aid-giver but also a friend to his patients. I believe that no medical service can be complete and meaningful unless there is a human touch. A patient is half cured if the doctor displays a caring attitude. It is, thereafter, that the treatment comes. I am happy that one of the objectives of the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences is to render services to the people of the Rayalaseema area and the surrounding districts.

Your Institute has a sprawling campus with excellent infrastructure and is offering super speciality courses from Cardiology, Neurology and Nephrology to Biochemistry, Pathology and Medicine. You can explore how to use the sophisticated medical technology available with you to further reach out to the extended rural community in your area, by looking at the scope and possibilities of using the telemedicine facility. Our aim is to make standard health facilities available to all our citizens.

Mahatma Gandhi said, and I quote, "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver." Unquote. Therefore, healthy citizens make a healthy nation, which can be truly wealthy. I have seen, experienced and felt since my childhood, how important it is to have a medical practitioner at the village level. Our rural communities generally have not been able to make full use of the advances in medical science, mainly due to lack of knowledge and the prohibitive costs involved. Therefore, in our efforts to improve the health and the quality of the lives of our citizens, we need to have a special focus on making health facilities available to the majority of our population residing in rural areas, especially women, children and the elderly. This requires a strong health infrastructure as well as dedicated doctors, trained nurses and technical manpower. It is also important to have functional health facilities, from the level of Primary Health Centers up to speciality hospitals.

Implementation of Government programmes is a collective effort in which government, private institutions, civil society and the local community can work together for the better delivery of health services to the public. Sri Venkateswara Institute is extending support for the execution of health schemes of the Central and the State Governments. Infact, I am informed that the Institute stood first in implementing Rajiv Arogyasri Scheme of Andhra Pradesh Government that enables 'below poverty line' families to avail of free medical treatment.

I understand that the Institute also has its own scheme - the Sri Balaji Arogya Varaprasadini Scheme - to assist the needy in getting medical aid at an affordable cost and is also supporting the rural healthcare system by conducting periodical health camps in nearby villages. These are important initiatives. These camps can help in creating awareness among people about hygiene and preventive approaches. In most rural areas there is hardly any awareness among people that good practices can help ward off most diseases and there is a higher incidence of seasonal and chronic diseases. We should spread the message of avoiding maternal and child malnutrition. Consumption of drugs, alcohol and other intoxicating materials is adversely affecting the lives and health of people, including the youth. Several studies have established a clear link between cancer and unhealthy practices like tobacco chewing. Still, people continue to cultivate such harmful habits. Moreover, many of the lifestyle diseases like diabetes and blood pressure can be treated with a high degree of success through education. Medical institutions and medical professionals must step up efforts to motivate people to adopt healthier lifestyles and in this context, undertake awareness campaigns especially in the rural areas.

My dear young doctors, as you pass through the portals of this Institute today, after completing your education and step into your profession, I would like you to remember that yours is a noble profession. This Convocation may be the end of your formal education, but not of your learning experience. Learning, you must remember, is a life long activity and the one who continues to learn, is one who has greater chances of excelling in life. Therefore, you must pursue the acquisition of knowledge throughout your lives and serve humanity with humility. As doctors, wherever you go, faith and trust shall be reposed on you by your patients as well as their relatives. They will look upon you with hope and expectations. Therefore, you must always work to maintain this trust. Medicine is an intensely humane and personal endeavour and the doctor-patient relationship itself becomes part of the therapeutic process. I hope that the doctors who are passing out today will also bring laurels to the country with their accomplishments and also serve humanity.

I wish success to the Institute and to the young doctors, who have just got their degrees. I thank the institute for conferring the doctorate honoris causa on me today.

Thank you.

Jai Hind.

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