A resilient India at 75, says Aster head Azad Moopen

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Over the years India has emerged as an economic superpower and a force to reckon with, strengthened by its 1.3 billion people and shaped by its visionary leadership who have made the country stand tall through some of the most challenging times in history. As we celebrate India’s 75th Independence Day we celebrate the indomitable spirit of the nation which unites our countrymen across the world, says Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare.

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"The recent pandemic has tested the country to its core, with people being subjected to unimaginable crisis, suffering and loss and yet the country holds strong and continues to push forward. It was phenomenal to see how NRIs based across the world came together to support Indians in need, alongside the local and international governments. While the UAE Government extended its support to India, the NRI community based here, the largest in the world, contributed heavily through donation of relief material and essential supplies. Aster DM Healthcare also played a significant role by setting up multiple COVID-19 field hospitals in major surge areas like New Delhi, Kerala, and Bangalore in a matter of few days, in addition to the efforts of our 14 hospitals to serve Covid positive patients across all 5 States that we are present in. In addition, our Aster Volunteers programme continues to play a significant role in making healthcare accessible for the needy during this difficult period through our various programmes. Till date we have served 28,000 Covid positive patients and screened over 1,662,726 people across GCC and India," adds Dr Moopen.

"Despite the challenges we have seen some remarkable achievements. The launch of India’s first COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin gave hope to Indians and many other nations as the country supplied the vaccine to Nepal, Bangladesh, Morocco and Brazil among others. The pandemic also fuelled the Indian government’s vision to become self-reliant or ATMANIRBHAR Bharat and promote the start-up culture. This is proving to be a boon for the healthcare sector with multiple health-tech start-ups innovating and introducing key solutions to modern-day challenges. XHealth Innovation labs, an effort by Aster Innovation and Research Centre, India’s first accelerator and incubator programme, is in the process of working with many of these start-ups to develop path-breaking solutions.

"India’s resilience also shone through the recent Olympics, with our athletes winning the highest number of medals in Indian history. The country is also set to put up a brilliant show at the World Expo in Dubai which is due to start in October 2021, and would be a celebration of its cultural heritage, modernistic future and thriving economy. Aster is one of the key sponsors of the India pavilion with plans under way to showcase the key role that healthcare has played in strengthening ties between the two countries.

"Lastly, I want to say that the path forward in continuing India’s journey of resilience is through vaccination. It is our only hope for putting the pandemic behind us and continuing our journey to build a glorious future for India and its citizens. We, at Aster, remain committed to the nation and its people to ensure a healthy future for Indians across the world."