Faridabad/Mohali, Aug 24 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said healthcare and spirituality are closely linked in India and the country’s COVID-19 vaccination drive got a big boost when religious leaders came forward to scotch rumours against vaccines.
Modi said this in his address after inaugurating a 2,600-bed private hospital in Faridabad.
Later at an event in Mohali, he said holistic healthcare has been a priority in the country for the past eight years and more work has been done in this field than the last seven decades.
He said this at the opening of the 300-bed Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre at Mullanpur on outskirts of Chandigarh. The facility has been built at a cost of over Rs 660 crore by Tata Memorial Centre, an aided institute under the Union Department of Atomic Energy.
Earlier in the day, Modi attend the opening ceremony of Amrita Hospital complex in Faridabad and called the hospital a “fusion of ‘adhunikta’ (modernity) and ‘adhyatmikta’ (spirituality)”.
“India is a country where healthcare and spirituality are closely linked. COVID-19 is an example of a successful spiritual-private partnership that helped create awareness and implement the world’s largest vaccination drive,” he said.
Modi said when India made its vaccine against COVID, a “kind of propaganda was unleashed by some people”.
“But, when religious leaders and spiritual teachers of the society came together and asked people not to heed to such rumours, the effect was immediate. India did not face the kind of vaccine hesitancy as seen in other countries,” the prime minister said.
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage since the start of the exercise in January 2021 has crossed the 210-crore milestone for cumulative doses administered to beneficiaries.
He also heaped praise on spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi.
Mata Amritanandamayi, addressed as ‘Amma’ by her admirers, showered flower petals on Modi when he offered her a shawl and a garland as she blessed him.
Modi removed his footwear before bowing to ‘Amma’ and in his address also spoke a few lines in Malayalam, the native language of Kerala, from where she hails.
“Amma is the embodiment of love, compassion, service and sacrifice. She is the carrier of India’s spiritual tradition,” Modi said in Malayalam to the audience, which besides local residents, had many ambassadors of foreign countries.
“A combination of technology and modernisation will lead to the country’s progress in the healthcare sector. India is endeavouring to ensure that governments and others come forward to transform the health and education sectors on a mission mode,” he said.
A “Ram Sita Hanuman wooden idol” made by the Amritashilpakala team was gifted to the prime minister, a spokesperson of the hospital said.
‘Amma’ in her address in Malayalam said, “Mankind runs to God in time of distress and seeks His help with prayers. This hospital that is being inaugurated today should be treated as a temple.”
He had arrived at Amrita Hospital from Delhi in a chopper, and after landing at a makeshift helipad on the campus, proceeded to light a ceremonial lamp with children chanting hymns in the background, in the atrium area, and was later shown the model of the hospital complex.
Built at an estimated cost of around Rs 6,000 crore, Amrita Hospital is equipped with cutting-edge technology, including a centralised fully-automated laboratory.
The state-of-the-art hospital in Faridabad, built on a sprawling 130-acre campus with sustainability in mind, has a dedicated seven-storey research block and has been constructed over a period of six years by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math.
In his speech, Modi also referred to the Amrit Kaal’, a phrase that he and other BJP leaders have been frequently using of late in their addresses, and which is purported to mean by them the beginning of an era of bright future for India.
“A few days ago, the country entered the ‘Amrit Kaal’ with renewed energy. In this ‘Amrit Kaal’, the country’s collective efforts are getting institutionalised, its collective thoughts are getting awakened. I am happy that in the first phase of this ‘Amrit Kaal’, the country is also getting the ‘amrit’ (elixir) of Mata Amritanandamayi’s blessings,” he said.
Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, his deputy Dushyant Chautala, and Union minister Krishan Pal Gurjar were also present at the event.
Modi in his address said “India’s spiritual vitality is being seen again, and the energy of ideals is getting stronger”
He said even though the hospital has been built under a public-private partnership, he sees it as “paraspar prayas”, or mutual effort.
Khattar in his address said, “Today, not just a hospital is being inaugurated, it is also a ‘yagna’ to serve the poor. The hospital will take the Centre’s Swasth Bharat Mission forward.”
The super-speciality hospital has opened with 500 beds and is expected to be fully operational in a phased manner over the next five years.
Once fully operational, the hospital with 81 specialities is billed to be the largest private hospital in Delhi-NCR and the country, its officials had earlier said.
The hospital buildings span 36 lakh square feet in built-up area, with a 14-floor tower housing key medical facilities such as a dedicated seven-storey research block and eight centres of excellence.