File photo of Union Health Minister JP Nadda.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda today urged family medicine practitioners in the country to come up with solutions for improving preventive and promotive healthcare in the country.
Family medicine practitioners are the doctors who treat patients at primary and secondary levels.
"Family medicine practitioners can play a primary role in preventive and promotive healthcare and especially in the rural and peri-urban areas where a substantial portion of the population resides," Mr Nadda said at the second National Conference on Family Medicine and Primary Care.
"The out of pocket expenses incurred by a large section of population still remains high. Tackling this burden of non communicable diseases and high out of pocket expenses requires focus on preventive and promotive care at primary level and secondary level."
According to the health ministry, non-communicable diseases account for 60 per cent of mortality in India.