Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said on September 21 that doctors and medical practitioners should consider serving in rural India as it had limited access to healthcare.

"Despite several governmental initiatives, we have been unable to provide adequate healthcare facilities to our rural people, the farmers and their families who feed us. And this crisis partly stems from reluctance of our doctors to go and work in rural centres.

"The time has come for you to change this situation and consider serving these unserved populations," Naidu said while addressing the 19th National Board of Examinations (NBE) Convocation and Award Ceremony held here at Vigyan Bhawan.

Naidu further emphasised on providing healthcare at an affordable cost and look out for ways to ensure that every citizen benefits from the advancements in medicine. "There have been many instances in which families have been driven into penury and debt-traps due to huge medical costs incurred on the treatment of their dear ones," he added.

The Vice President also praised government's step in coming up with 'Ayushman Bharat' health insurance scheme which is expected to provide financial protection to 10.74 crore deprived rural families by offering a benefit cover of Rs 5 lakh per family every year.

He also advised the doctors to think, innovate, create new paradigms, ideas and technologies in healthcare and turn India into a trailblazer in the healthcare field. "The world must look up to us. Medical tourism is becoming a reality and many people from different corners of the world are coming to India for treatment," he noted.

Apart from Naidu, State Health Ministers Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Anupriya Patel were also present at the convocation ceremony. More than 300 Diplomate of National Board and Fellow of National Board were awarded with gold medals by NBE while more than 31 doctors from across the country were honoured for their contribution in the healthcare field.