Make yoga and exercises part of daily routine: President Kovind

New Delhi: Stressing on the need to encourage organ donation and creating awareness about it, President Ram Nath Kovind said, "There is a huge gap between requirement and availability of organ needed for saving lives."

While stressing on the need to establish liver transplant programme in more public hospitals, Kovind said, "Two lakh liver transplants are required in a year but only a few thousands are done. Health remains a key development challenges for India and government is committed to tackle it through Ayushman Bharat programme and other health schemes."

While addressing the 10th foundation day of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), the President has asked ILBS to prepare a roadmap suggesting ways and means to encourage liver donation and to improve the related procedures and protocols.

"The growing incidence of liver diseases is also linked to our unhealthy lifestyles. At present, nearly one out of four Indians have fatty liver and may be 10 per cent of them have liver diseases due to excessive body fat," he said, adding that this condition is known to be a precursor to development of diabetes and heart disease.

"There is no substitute for each of us taking more responsibility for our health and that of our children. We should try to make yoga, physical exercises, sports and meditation an integral part of our daily routine," he said.