New Delhi, Oct 3: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu today said that healthcare is not just ‘absence of illness’ and called for taking a holistic view of health that includes physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing and empowers an individual to reach his/her full potential.

In a video message for NDTV’s latest edition of ‘Banega Swasth India’, the Vice President said that this holistic approach towards health is the aim of ‘Swasth Bharat’, which will ultimately lead to ‘Sampann Bharat’ or prosperous Bharat.

Taking note of the significant gains in health indices since independence, Naidu urged the Centre and States to work in a team India spirit with renewed vigor to further improve the health indices. “Apart from increasing public spending on health, there is also a need to augment the health infrastructure at various levels through a public-private partnership,” he added.

Calling for bridging disparities in health infrastructure between urban and rural areas, he said “While bringing tertiary care to rural areas, it is imperative that we strengthen our primary health care system for better health outcomes.” He lauded the government’s flagship scheme, Ayushman Bharat and said it has brought ‘health assurance’ to millions of poor families.

Expressing his concern over the disturbing trend of increasing Non-Communicable Diseases in India, Naidu called for creating greater awareness among people on lifestyle diseases. He urged health experts and cultural icons to take the lead in this regard.

Referring to COVID pandemic, the Vice President praised all frontline workers including doctors and paramedics staff, sanitation workers, police and media persons for the extraordinary resilience, courage and spirit of sacrifice displayed by them in fighting the pandemic and serving the people. He said the pandemic has also reminded us that our health is intricately connected to the health of the planet and man must avoid interfering with the natural ecosystems for his selfish interests. ‘One Health, One Planet, One Future’ is the way forward, he added.

Noting that about 65 percent of our population is below the age of 35 years, he exhorted the youth to adopt a healthy and disciplined lifestyle by undertaking regular physical activity like yoga or cycling and eating healthy food. He advised youngsters to avoid getting addicted to digital devices.