National Healthcare Agenda needs stronger partnership between govt and industry: NATHEALTH
Coming out with a clear and actionable National Health Agenda,
as envisioned by Indian political leadership, is a move in the right direction
and will equip the new government to expedite the promises for achieving the
goal of universal health coverage, according to NATHEALTH.
National Healthcare Agenda includes empowering people with
healthcare for all, higher spending, creating one medical college in each
district, scaling up Ayushman Bharat and creating a robust health system for
all. The industry will continue to collaborate to create a new and robust
healthcare ecosystem.
The Indian healthcare industry has been collaborating with
the government at all levels to push efforts for achieving the goal of ‘Health
for All’. However, a comprehensive National Health Agenda would certainly
provide a fresh impetus for creating a new healthcare system. A comprehensive
health agenda needs active support from private sector which is playing a
critical role in providing access and quality health service to people across
the country.
"Overall, the healthcare agenda needs to be very
comprehensive and encompasses different areas like preventive healthcare,
wellness centers, nutrition, immunization, universal healthcare, affordable
healthcare, increasing accessibility, reducing the shortage in number of
doctors, specialists and paramedical personnel,” said Dr H Sudarshan Ballal,
president, NATHEALTH.
Universal Healthcare will guarantee the right to healthcare
services for every citizen, including free diagnostics, out-patient care,
medicines and hospitalization through a network of public hospitals and private
hospitals. It is widely admitted that India needs to raise its public spending
in healthcare to above 3-4 per cent of GDP and it is prudent to note that
higher spending has been accorded a priority.
Strengthening of healthcare infrastructure and scaling up of
Ayushman Bharat are another top priority areas and leaders across political
spectrum appear committed on these fronts.
“Increasing the medical colleges by having one in each
district, increasing PG seats and paramedical nursing courses will go a long
way in reducing the shortage of healthcare personnel in the country in addition
to improving accessibility of healthcare. It is promising to note that
healthcare agenda has identified the factors and forces which would help in
achieving Universal Health Coverage,” Dr. Ballal added.
Addressing the problems pertaining to the growth of medical
device sector, the issue has also figured in the agenda and the industry is
willing to provide expert technical support for this.
Rational and viable pricing for benefit packages is the main
concern of the industry and ensuring viability of the sector will go a long way
in achieving the goal of ‘Health for All.’
"We should draw attention to the fact that India needs
to allocate a higher public spend on health- three times more than the current
spending. Moreover, quality should be at front and center of India’s healthcare
priorities as accessibility and affordability together with quality improvement
can help India achieve Sustainable Development Goals," said Siddhartha
Bhattacharya, secretary general, NATHEALTH.
“We, at NATHEALTH, believe that healthcare is a crucial peg
in India’s economic and social growth narrative and there is an urgent need to
create a health system that improves access while maintaining quality and
sector sustainability,” added Bhattacharya.
‘Health for All’ needs engagement of all stakeholders
including governments and the industry fostering more meaningful partnerships
which would help in creating a robust model for the Indian healthcare sector.
Hence, a cohesive engagement with industry to create a long term policy
framework for health will lead to a higher levels of investment, employment and
sectoral growth.
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