The government will accord greater importance to preventive healthcare in the coming budget, Dr. K.G. Arunjaj, minister for health, medical education and family welfare, said on Thursday, stressing that the State must shift its focus from treating diseases to preventing them through healthier lifestyles and public awareness.
He said the State's medical infrastructure, including medical colleges and tertiary hospitals, has traditionally been treatment-oriented. However, the government now plans to strengthen the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine with greater emphasis on primordial and preventive healthcare.
The minister said this while launching the book The 100 Year Blueprint: An Indian Doctor's Guide to Longevity, by Dr. Navin Gnanasekaran, longevity physician, author and head of radiology at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai.
“Our focus extends beyond treatment to prevention. Promoting healthy lifestyles, preventive care, fitness and overall well-being must become a collective movement,” he said, adding that investments in prevention would help build a healthier Tamil Nadu for future generations.
Calling for a broader definition of health, he said happiness and mental well-being should also become public health priorities.
Dr. Navin Gnanasekaran said for decades, the success of healthcare has been measured by how effectively we treat disease. “I believe the next chapter of medicine will be defined by how well we prevent it.”
“My hope is that this book encourages people to start thinking about healthy ageing much earlier, because the choices we make in our thirties and forties shape the lives we will lead in our fifties, sixties, eighties and beyond,” he pointed out.