Home Minister urges doctors to redefine medical ethics, shift focus from illness to wellness
BuzzBytes
NEW DELHI, Dec 28: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Sunday said India is nearing its goal of becoming a malaria-free nation, citing a 97 percent reduction in cases as evidence of unprecedented progress in the health sector over the past decade. Addressing the centenary national conference IMA NATCON 2025 of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in Ahmedabad, Shah said the success of national health schemes under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has brought visible transformation to public healthcare across India.
Praising doctors for their contribution from the pre-independence era to the Covid-19 crisis, Shah called the medical fraternity “pillars of India’s wellness ecosystem” and urged them to redefine professional ethics in line with contemporary challenges. “Ethics cannot be imposed by law — they must be upheld by conscience,” he said, calling upon the IMA to form a panel to revise ethical guidelines and make them integral to modern medical education. “Those who see service as sacred duty will preserve the trust built over a century,” he added.
Shah said Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 demands a healthy demographic—physically, mentally, and energetically—and asserted that doctors would play a decisive role in fulfilling that goal. He said a holistic health ecosystem had been developed between 2014 and 2025 through initiatives such as the Swachhata Mission, Fit India Movement, Khelo India, and International Yoga Day, all interconnected with preventive healthcare and wellness.
Highlighting the government’s landmark programmes, Shah said the Ayushman Bharat Mission had ensured free treatment worth up to ₹5 lakh for citizens nationwide, and even up to ₹15 lakh in some states. Under Mission Indradhanush, immunisation drives have shielded millions of children from disease early in life. He said over ₹1.65 lakh crore had been invested to strengthen Community and Primary Health Centres, while the number of medical seats rose from 51,000 in 2014 to 1.3 lakh, nearly tripling the nation’s capacity to train doctors.
He cited major health gains under the Modi Government — malaria cases down by 97 percent, kala-azar improved by 90 percent, dengue mortality reduced to 1 percent, maternal mortality down by 25 percent, institutional deliveries up by 20 percent, and infant mortality halved. “These are not slogans on paper; they are measurable results of grounded implementation,” Shah said, adding that the Centre’s health budget has increased from ₹37,000 crore in 2013–14 to ₹1.28 lakh crore now.
The Home Minister urged the IMA to innovate further by promoting medical research, expanding telemedicine, and making maximum use of doctors’ expertise through video consultations connecting AIIMS with rural health centres. He suggested that the association devise a policy to reward doctors engaged in active research. “IMA must not rest on past laurels. It should evolve with the nation’s needs,” he said, urging a philosophical shift from “illness to wellness” and greater attention to preventive health and lifestyle awareness.
Shah lauded the IMA’s century-long service record, especially its efforts during the pandemic and its continued role in vaccination, blood donation drives, and campaigns to curb prenatal sex determination. He said over 5,000 IMA representatives from 27 states were attending NATCON 2025 and expressed confidence that the organisation, under its new leadership, would set higher benchmarks in public health service and ethical medical practice.
“India’s doctors have served selflessly in every crisis,” Shah concluded. “If we integrate ethics, empathy, and innovation, the nation’s health blueprint will be unmatched by any in the world.”
