Puri (Odisha) [India], February 28 (ANI): Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Thursday offered prayers at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri.

Odisha Health Minister Dr Mukesh Mahaling and BJP MP from Puri, Sambit Patra, also joined him on his visit to the revered temple.

He visited the Jagannath Temple after inaugurating the 9th National Summit on Good and Replicable Practices and Innovation in the Public Healthcare System in Puri, Odisha.

Earlier in the day, Nadda inaugurated the 9th National Summit on Good and Replicable Practices and Innovation in the Public Healthcare System in Puri, Odisha today in the presence of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Odisha Health Minister Dr Mukesh Mahaling, and Sambit Patra, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Puri.

The 2-day summit will showcase and document various best practices and innovations adopted by states and UTs for addressing their public health challenges. It will also provide an opportunity for knowledge sharing and cross-learning among the states and UTs.

Addressing the session, Nadda highlighted that India has made a significant stride in healthcare since 2014.

He stated that the National Health Policy 2017 brought about a paradigm shift in approach from curative healthcare to one that encompasses curative as well as preventive, promotive and comprehensive aspects.

Similarly, the Union Minister noted that the government has also given a lot of impetus to tertiary healthcare in addition to improving primary and secondary healthcare.

He noted that the Union Government's focus is on ensuring quality and affordable healthcare services for the people. On this note, he stated that the work done on Ayushman Arogya Mandir under the National Health Mission has strengthened the foundation of primary healthcare in the overall healthcare pyramid.

Nadda stated that 'the decline of Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in India is double that of the global decline, which highlights the effort taken in strengthening the healthcare system from the grassroots level. The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Under 5 Mortality Rate have also seen a noteworthy downfall.' He also credited Odisha for its appreciable strides in IMR and MMR. (ANI)