For immediate release

Country’s Health System Continues To Face Many Challenges – NATHEALTH

Healthcare industry leaders met at its Governing Council Meeting

New Delhi, July 19, 2014

With an aim to be a credible and unified voice in improving access and quality of healthcare in India, India’s apex healthcare sector body NATHEALTH, organized its Governing Council meeting in New Delhi.

Speaking on the union budget 2014-15, Anjan Bose, Secretary General, NATHEALTH said that though the government has taken promising initiatives focusing on research and development, there is still lot more to be done to make quality healthcare accessible to the masses. 

Mr. Bose emphasizes, “The biggest challenge of all remains the substantial gap in accessing healthcare. Healthcare infrastructure gaps remain substantial, with only around1.3 beds per 1,000 population, significantly lower than the other BRIC economies and the WHO guideline of 3.5 beds per 1,000 population.  Government needs to provide healthcare priority status and focus on improving healthcare infrastructure.

Shivinder Mohan Singh, President, NATHEALTH said that the government should create incentives for individuals taking health insurances, as increasing the insurance coverage is an important step in achieving Universal Health Coverage.

Mr. Singh further stressed “In order to enhance geographical access to quality healthcare there is a need to create an environment for private investors to create healthcare infrastructure. Given the reality that the cost of setting up hospitals has more than doubled in the last five years, the government should seriously consider enhancing the tax holiday period for establishing hospitals from five years to ten years in non-metro towns.”

“Innovation is the way forward for the industry hence setting up a healthcare infrastructure fund and a medical innovation fund is the need of the hour” stressed Mr. Singh.

Mr. Anjan Bose emphasized that it is imperative to lower the cost of setting and running facilities to enable bridging the accessibility, quality and affordability gap.  He said domestic production in India should be encouraged by creating significant incentives to innovate and produce in India and export medical technology.

Mr. Bose said that there is an emergent need to revisit the classification of life-saving equipment and provide import duty relief to other lifesaving equipment, not manufactured in India that includes Pace Makers, Dialysis Machines and Vascular stents among others.

Creation of medical technology parks and allowing and incentivizing the setting up of private medical colleges are two strategic areas that will help better quality and access, said Mr. Bose

To combat the onslaught of NCDs, infectious diseases, malnutrition and improve public health Government can also consider according priority to preventive care, said Mr Anjan Bose.

Further Mr. Shivinder Mohan Singh emphasized “In order to meet the vision 2020 goal of 2.0 beds per 1,000 we require not just the availability of healthcare infrastructure, but also parallel progress in universal healthcare coverage. India needs to invest in skill development, talent generation, innovation, technology and preventive health strategies to ensure the quality of care given to every citizen.”

About NATHEALTH 

NATHEALTH has been created with the vision to "Be the credible and unified voice in improving access and quality of healthcare". Leading healthcare service providers, medical technology providers (devices and equipments), diagnostic service providers, health insurance companies, health education institutions, healthcare publishers and other stakeholders have come together to build NATHEALTH as a common platform to power the next wave of progress in Indian healthcare. NATHEALTH is an inclusive institution that has representation of small and medium hospitals and nursing homes. NATHEALTH is committed to work on its mission to encourage innovation, help bridge the skill and capacity gap, help shape policy and regulations and enable the environment to fund long-term growth. NATHEALTH aims to help build a better and healthier future for both rural and urban India.

Regards, 

Sujoy Kumar Chowdhury