India News | Vice President Naidu Urges People to Enroll Themselves with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday urged people to come forward and enroll themselves with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and get benefited from the "historic reform".

Describing the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission a revolutionary step in the history of India's public health, Naidu said it will provide Indian citizens with unique health IDs and digitised health records which will help doctors and health facilities.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier this week launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission for the entire country. It involves creation of a unique health ID for every citizen.

The vice president made these remarks at the launch of the first of its kind national dedicated Breast Cancer and Benign Breast Disease Helpline in India.

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Appreciating the inclusion of trained counsellors for the helpline for one-on-one confidential support to callers, Naidu said counselling is an inseparable part of the entire cancer treatment protocol or any other life-threatening medical condition.

He said that cancer not only affects the physical health of a patient but takes a big toll on the mental health too.

"Counsellors can help in keeping the patients motivated to fight the illness spiritedly," he said according to an official statement issued by the Vice President Secretariat.

The vice president said helplines can play an important role in addressing the concerns of people experiencing health issues.

Drawing attention to the growing menace of breast cancer, the vice president said breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, with around 2.3 million new cases being diagnosed each year and around 6.85 lakh women succumbing to it annually.

Noting that at least one-third of common cancers are preventable, Naidu said, "It is imperative that people are made aware of the early signs of cancer so that they can get immediate treatment and increase their chances of survival."

He said camps should also be organised to heighten awareness on the rising number of breast cancer cases and on breast health issues.

Highlighting the plight of cancer patients and their family members, Naidu said that in many cases, families end up exhausting their life savings to meet the expenses of the treatment.

Referring to the high costs of cancer treatment, the vice president said there was an urgent need to bring down the cost of cancer treatment.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)