New Delhi: Giving a slogan of "healthy people, healthy nation", the new Health Minister Sushma Swaraj on January 31 said that her ministry would work with an aim to provide basic health services to people at minimum cost.

"For a nation to be secure, its people should be in good health. Unhealthy people can not contribute in making a country strong," she told reporters in Delhi after assuming charge.

"We want India to be strong and secure. The priorities of my ministry would be based on this," the Minister said and added that a focus on health and education was needed for people's uplift.

Talking about her new assignment, she said that common people had direct link with the health ministry. "Common people expect that they are provided basic health services." She said the priorities would be chalked out soon.

When asked to comment on her stand as the Information and Broadcasting Minister on the issue of condom-based advertising for spearheading AIDS campaign, she said the campaign should not only focus on the condom aspect as AIDS involves other issues also.

"AIDS is a priority for all the ministries. AIDS does not always mean unsafe sex," she said adding campaign should be all-pervasive to spread any meaningful awareness.

To a question, Swaraj said she was one of the longest serving Information and Broadcasting minister, but she looked forward to this change. "It is not a question of promotion or demotion," she said.

The Prime Minster has put his faith in me. I hope to come up to the expectations," she said.

Choosing to side with the previous Health Minister, she said it was not that he did not attend Parliament. "These objections are baseless...it is not that he was not fulfilling his responsibilities as a minister," she said.

PTI