'Country fully prepared to deal with coronavirus situation,' says Jyotiraditya Scindia

The country is fully prepared to deal with the coronavirus situation, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday.

In the wake of rising coronavirus infections in China and some other countries, the government is taking various measures, including random testing of arriving international passengers, to curb possible spread of infections.

Scindia, who is in charge of the ministries of civil aviation and steel, said the country is fully prepared to deal with the coronavirus situation.

Briefing reporters here about the healthcare initiatives taken by the BJP-led central government since 2014, he also expressed confidence that the country will achieve universal healthcare coverage.

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According to the minister, medicines have become more affordable and the out-of-pocket expenditure for medicines has come down.

The share of out-of-pocket health expenditure as a percentage of total health expenditure has declined from 64.2 per cent in 2013-14 to 48.2 per cent in 2018-19.

The pillars of the government's healthcare programme are accessibilty, affordability, assured quality and digital delivery, he added.