Obama gets flak for treatment quip
US President Barack Obama’s remarks on “cheap health care” in India drew sharp reaction here with government and medical fraternity disapproving such comments.
In a terse reaction, health minister Ghulam Navi Azad said India does not provide “cheap” but “affordable” healthcare without compromising on quality, while the
Opposition BJP accused the US of resorting to protectionism. Eminent cardio-vascular surgeon Naresh Trehan also took objection to Mr Obama‘s statement saying the quality of institutions in India was as good r better than the best in the US. Mr Obama targeted “cheap health care” in countries like India and Mexico arguing that Americans should avail of “high quality” treatment available here. “My preference would be that you don’t have to travel to Mexico or India to get cheap health care. I’d like you to be able to get it right here in the United States of America that is high quality.” Mr Azad said, “affordable healthcare does not mean that our medicine is inferior to any super powers. I would like to say our medicines are indigenous, they are superior, superiority does not come by escalating costs.”
He said there are countries which are escalating the cost of medicine, when India is selling the same medicine at one-tenth of the price they were selling.
“We do not make profit so they very word cheap is a cheap word, to say cheap is a cheap?” he said.
He said most of the countries appreciate the efforts being made by India and the drugs and pharmaceuticals provided by the government at affordable price is being appreciated all across the world. BJP spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman said Mr Obama’s remarks smelled off protectionism. “The Indian medical industry has become very competitive internationally,” she said. —PTI
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