NEW DELHI: Noting that India is lagging behind in the field of medical research, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday underlined the need for keeping pace with the fast-changing world.
Participating in the 42nd annual convocation of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Prime Minister said, “While Indian doctors have made a name for themselves across the world, the country needs to step up medical research, to keep pace with fast-changing world.
We should focus on research, particularly on case history. This can be a big contribution to humankind”.
The Prime Minister urged the young doctors to record case histories in specific areas as they go higher in their profession. He also wanted them to work towards achieving a higher number of publications in scientific journals.
Highlighting the importance of the “convocation” in a student’s life, the Prime Minister said “This is not the end of your learning - rather you are now going from a closed and protected classroom to an open classroom.” Modi advised them to keep the student mindset in them alive, so that they would be able to scale great heights in their profession. He asked the students to follow the examples set by the doyens of medical fraternity who were being given lifetime achievement awards at the convocation.
“You may become professors one day and pass on the same books to others saying this is what I have been teaching and you also do the same.
Then change won’t come. If our mind is attuned to the rapidly changing system, then we will stay relevant,” he said.
The Prime Minister asked the doctors passing out from the AIIMS to work among the poor in far-flung areas “at least for a week in a year” as he spoke at length about the need for them to “pay back” to society. “You are so lucky to have studied in an institution like the AIIMS. I leave you in hope that as children of mother India you will give back to the society which has given you so much love. To repay the debt is your duty,” he said.
Sharing a word on his student life, Modi said “I was never a good student, nor did I get a chance to receive an award.”
The Prime Minister said the AIIMS should have special guests and it should be a students from poor backgrounds. “During convocations we should have special guests, it should be a student from a poor background. He/she should come and see this. By doing so the children will feel that this should also happen in their life.” he said.