CHENNAI: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said TN government should come forward to introduce medical education in Tamil medium. Speaking at the 35th convocation of Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, she said one could understand a subject better if they learnt it in their mother tongue. “I know this is one profession that has many challenges and is not easy. I wish you all the best as you receive your degrees.”
She also spoke about how the union government addressed the challenges posed by Covid through vaccines, the right medicines and oxygen supply and how it was the ethical obligation of knowledge workers to voluntarily use knowledge and resources for society’s welfare.
She also said that India manufactured medicines that met global quality standards and that the generic medicines made in India were cost-effective and affordable for all nations, even to those categorised as low-income countries.
“The Indian pharma industry witnessed an exponential growth of 103% during 2014-22. We have grown from $11.6 billion to $24.6 billion.” On medical tourism, she said it was estimated to be worth around $9 billion and India was the 10th biggest global medical tourism hub because of its good institutions that trained doctors. Two million patients visit India every year from 78 countries for treatment, generating $6 billion for industry, which is expected to grow to $13 billion by 2026.
During the convocation, Governor RN Ravi conferred degrees on 29,620 graduates. Vice Chancellor Dr Sudha Seshayyan gave the welcome address. State Health Minister and pro-chancellor Ma Subramanian and officials took part.