Addressing the 9th Convocation of the KLE Deemed University, in Belagavi, Karnataka today, the Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu impressed upon the young graduates on the need to make high-quality medical care accessible to the last poor man in the queue.

He appealed to the young doctors to view the profession as a mission to serve the people. He echoed to the people entering into medical profession to be compassionate towards the downtrodden sections and treat them with empathy and understanding.

Expressing concern over the rising costs of healthcare, Vice President urged upon the private sector to join hands with the government in providing affordable healthcare through public-private partnership in order to ensure modern and state-of-the-art healthcare facilities in rural areas.

A large section of the population is unable to get the latest diagnostic and therapeutic tools and Naidu opined that we should ensure healthcare services which are not only affordable but also accessible to the common man.

Opining that there was a gradual erosion of human touch or human element in doctor-patient relationship, the Vice President said that doctors are not communicating adequately with the patients and rather performing their duty in a mechanical fashion. He wanted them to establish an effective communication with patients.

The Chancellor of KLE Deemed University and the Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Dr. Prabhakar Kore, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Dr. Vivek A. Saoji, the Members of the Board of Management, Deans of Faculties, Heads of the Institutions, Officials of the University, Faculty Members, students and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.