Leading healthcare service providers, medical technologies providers, diagnostic service providers, health insurance companies and other stakeholders came together to launch NATHEALTH (Healthcare Federation in India).
The Federation was formally launched by Dr Sayeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India, CK Mishra, Additional Secretary – Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, WHO Representative to India, Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII in the presence of Dr Prathap C Reddy, President, Shivinder Mohan Singh, Vice President and Anjan Bose, Secretary General, NATHEALTH.
The launch also witnessed the release of the white paper on ‘Enabling access to long-term finance for healthcare in India’ by NATHEALTH in association with PwC.
Mishra said, “NATHEALTH will safeguard and nurture the good health in our country as this forum enables to work on issues like ethics and governance for the betterment of the industry. NATHEALTH and Government of India shall be working with each other. It is right time for all the stakeholders to collaborate and to supplement the advance technology as it’s just a beginning.” Dr Hameed said, “As we are contending with communicable disease, I believe NATHEALTH will bring a significant change in the healthcare sector.”
Healthcare veteran Bose expressed that modelled on the lines of NASSCOM, NATHEALTH is intended to play a pivotal role in empowering Indian healthcare and bring quality healthcare closer to every Indian.
Dr Reddy said, “NATHEALTH would act as a catalyst to bridge the gap, encourage development and optimise healthcare infrastructure for the progress of healthcare sector to the next level.” Bose said, “We need to come together onto a common platform and work together with decision makers to create an enabling environment that will power the next wave of progress in Indian healthcare.”
“Most of the country’s health expenditure is supported by private spending and the constitution of public funds is not adequate. Despite healthcare being accorded infrastructure status, unlike roads and airports, the healthcare sector has lagged significantly in PPP. All of this needs to change,” added Dr Rana Mehta, Leader for Healthcare, PwC India.
Bose informed that already NATHEALTH have nearly 50 members and are expecting more participation in times to come.
Singh said, “Our mission is to enable the environment to fund long term growth for Indian healthcare and support best practices and promote accreditation.”
“Indian healthcare fraternity needs to come together today to erase the ignominy of being a disease capital of the world in many areas. I hope that NATHEALTH members will do something that is very much required in the country to bring innovative and affordable healthcare to the people,” added Dr Reddy.