Amaravati, Sep 23 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Tuesday that, like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he has never taken a leave from work.

Speaking in the Assembly on public health, he highlighted the physical fitness of the Prime Minister, even at the age of 75.

“The Prime Minister is 75. He is six months younger than me, but he has been working wonderfully. He comes back from abroad, and the next day he visits 4-5 states. Every day, he works well with full physical fitness. He never took a leave. I, too, have not taken leave,” he said while underscoring the importance of physical fitness.

Naidu also emphasised the importance of food in maintaining good health. “I always say food is medicine and the kitchen is a pharmacy. If we follow this, we can improve the health to a great extent,” he said.

The Chief Minister also remarked that, on average, a man is consuming food meant for 120 years in a span of just 40 years. “This applies to you as well,” he told Deputy Speaker Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, who was in the chair, evoking laughter from the members.

Stating that eating more than necessary is the cause of diseases, he underlined the need to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

The Chief Minister voiced concern over Andhra Pradesh ranking number one in cesarean section operations.

He stated that 90 per cent of all cesarean section (C-section) operations occur in private hospitals.

The Chief Minister mentioned that 56.62 per cent of all births in the state are through C-section, which is the highest in the country. “These doctors, for money, are encouraging cesarian deliveries instead of practising safe deliveries,” he said.

He asked Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav to hold a meeting with private hospitals and convey to them that the government does not approve of this trend and tell them to encourage safe deliveries.

“We will focus on this because an operation is an operation. It’s not correct to cut the natural body given by god,” the Chief Minister said.

He agreed with the Deputy Speaker that some families fix delivery dates in advance as they are going for an ‘auspicious’ time of delivery instead of the pregnancy taking its own natural course.

The Chief Minister dismissed the allegation by the opposition YSR Congress Party that the government is privatising the medical colleges.

He clarified that the government was developing medical colleges under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. He urged people not to believe the false propaganda that medical colleges are being privatised.

Naidu said that out of fear that the truth will be exposed in the Assembly, the YSRCP is sitting outside and spreading false propaganda by slinging mud. “They cannot engage in politics forever with fake propaganda. There is no compromise anywhere when it comes to doing good for the people, and there will be no going back on this,” he added.

–IANS

ms/vd