Vice President Urges Doctors to Lead Fight Against Drug Abuse

Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan has called on doctors to take a leading role in the fight against drug abuse and in building a drug-free society. He made the appeal on Monday while addressing the ruby jubilee celebrations of Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences in Vijayawada.

The Vice President also called for greater investment in medical research and innovation to meet the serious challenges confronting healthcare. He said emerging technologies have the potential to transform how medicine is practised and delivered.

However, Radhakrishnan cautioned that technology must always serve humanity. In his view, compassion must lie at the heart of healthcare, ensuring that progress benefits patients in a real and meaningful way.

His appeal to the medical fraternity came as part of his two-day visit to Andhra Pradesh, which began on Monday. The programme includes prayers at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirupati and the Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple in Tiruchanur.

Before reaching Vijayawada, the Vice President extended his greetings to citizens on Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti. In a post on X, he praised the Ramayana, composed by Adikavi Maharishi Valmiki, as an invaluable heritage of Indian civilisation.

He said the ideals of truth, duty, sacrifice, compassion and dharma in the epic continue to light the path for humanity. According to him, Valmiki's teachings encourage people to uphold ethical values and build a harmonious and sensitive society.

In Delhi earlier, Radhakrishnan inaugurated a conference on cooperative federalism and law reform. He emphasised that modernising India's legal system is essential for realising the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Stressing the spirit of Team India, he urged stronger consultation, coordination and shared responsibility between the Centre and the states. He said political differences should not stand in the way of actions that serve the wider public good.

He underlined that cooperative and competitive federalism are both important, and that the Team India vision under Prime Minister Narendra Modi requires close engagement between the Centre and the states.