President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, raised serious concern over the escalating cost of medicines and medical equipment at the first convocation of AIIMS Bilaspur, warning that the financial burden of treatment poses a grave challenge for patients and their families across India. Presiding over the ceremony in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, she urged the graduating doctors to treat service to humanity as the highest calling of their profession.

The Core Message: Affordable Care With Compassion

President Murmu underscored that quality healthcare at an affordable cost is the defining hallmark of all AIIMS institutions. She noted that a patient walking into a doctor's chamber carries not just fear and uncertainty, but also hope — and that medical professionals must honour that hope with both clinical excellence and human empathy. 'Empathy and compassionate behaviour provide courage and reassurance,' she said, urging doctors to combine sensitivity with professional rigour.

She emphasised that medical knowledge alone is insufficient; the ability to treat patients with dignity and compassion is equally critical to the healing process.

AIIMS Bilaspur's Special Mandate in a Hilly Region

The President highlighted that AIIMS Bilaspur carries a particular responsibility owing to its geographic location in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh. Delivering timely and quality healthcare to populations in remote, mountainous areas is, she said, a complex challenge that demands innovative solutions. She called on the institution to emerge as a premier centre for advanced tertiary healthcare in the region.

To bridge the gap between urban medical infrastructure and remote communities, President Murmu stressed the need to strengthen telemedicine, expand specialist consultations for far-flung areas, invest in training of medical personnel, and deploy advanced technologies. This comes amid a broader national push to decentralise healthcare access through a network of new AIIMS campuses established across India.

Rising Treatment Costs and Government's Response

Addressing what she called a 'serious challenge,' the President noted that the cost of treatment for critical illnesses imposes a significant financial strain on ordinary families. She pointed to the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana as a key government intervention, which provides health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year to support vulnerable sections of society. Despite this scheme, rising medicine and equipment prices continue to erode the affordability of care for millions, her remarks suggested.

Notably, the concern over healthcare costs echoes growing debate among policymakers and public health experts about the adequacy of existing price-control mechanisms for drugs and medical devices in India.

AIIMS Network and Expanding Access

President Murmu observed that multiple AIIMS institutions have been set up across different parts of the country with the dual aim of extending quality healthcare to a larger population and providing meritorious students access to top-tier medical education. For millions of Indians, she said, the AIIMS brand represents access to the nation's most competent doctors — a trust that each new institution must work hard to earn and sustain.

As AIIMS Bilaspur marks its first convocation, its graduating doctors step into a healthcare landscape where demand for affordable, compassionate care in underserved geographies has never been more acute.