Government and private sector can work together for universal healthcare: JP Nadda

Nadda was speaking at 14th India Health Summit organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi

JP Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, said that the government is committed to bring about proactive policy changes in the healthcare sector to make it more responsive to the needs of the common man and to create a strong healthcare infrastructure network where government and the private sector can work together for ensuring universal healthcare at affordable cost.

Inaugurating the 14th India Health Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi, Nadda stressed, “At this turbulent time in the Indian healthcare system, stakeholders must sit together to sort out the differences to evolve a policy framework that should address how to provide affordable universal healthcare to the citizens. At the same time,it is important to keep high the credibility and respect of the medical profession. To serve the masses, the governmental delivery systems should integrate with the private healthcare to reach out to people who are cut off from the mainstream.”

The minister pointed out that the medical community should communicate more succinctly to the general public. “You cannot afford to live in silos. The challenges, impediments and advantages which India possesses in the medical system should be communicated to the general public. At the same, medical community should be aware of the imponderables being faced by those who are seeking medical help, particularly from the point of view of cost. Such meaningful interfaces can take the medical profession to its pristine glory,” he added.

Nadda underscored the achievements of his government in the healthcare sector, such as increase in the health expenditure as a proportion to the GDP. Prior to 2014, there was a cut in the health expenditure. As against this, the expenditure is increasing every successive year since 2014. For the year 2017-18, the budgeted expenditure is 27.5 per cent higher than the previous year. Of that, more than 70 per cent has already been expended.

The minister also stressed on the focus given to open new medical colleges. 58 medical colleges at the district levels attached to hospitals will be modernised with more facilities and equipment. Over 60 new medical colleges will be set up attached to district hospitals across the country. Besides, the government is committed to ensure the same facilities and expertise as they exist in the AIIMS, Delhi to the newly opened AIIMS and those in the pipeline so that the patients from far flung areas need not come to Delhi for speciality treatments.

Pitching for greater cooperation between public and private hospitals to ensure universal healthcare, the minister said that a beginning has been made in this direction also. More than 4000 gynaecologists from private hospitals have enrolled themselves for voluntary services to the poor living in rural and tribal belts. So far, they had conducted 90 lakh check ups. The government has increased the target for immunisation for 2018 to 19 per cent from mere 6.7 per cent in 2014. The government has set up 106 outlets, which give medicines below 60-90 per cent of the MRP, benefitting over 46.6 lakh people. Over 3000 such outlets, which sell branded medicines only will come up in the coming years. Also, it is the policy of the government to eliminate TB by 2025. Induction of more people from the poorer sections of the society is an indication how transparency in the medical education is brought about. “Undoubtedly, we have to achieve more in this direction to bring more quality and content to the education and we are receptive to changes that are being suggested from various quarters,” he added.

Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Skill Development, urged the health providers to create more employment opportunities not necessarily for high-end personnel like doctors and nurses but also for people down the line like ASHA workers, lab technicians, X-ray operators and a host of vocations connected to health industry.

The minister said that the effort of industry should be to bring these workers into the formal sector by giving them appropriate training and orientation. In this regard, he mentioned that the government has simplified the apprentice act and it is no longer mandatory for establishments to take people in the apprentice mode. Instead, they should absorb the young people in the training mode, which can substantially reduce the skill gap they are facing in their day to day operations.

Pradhan said that trained people can be a foreign exchange spinner for India since there is a huge demand for such persons in most of the developed countries. He informed that in the recently signed agreement with Japan for vocational training, there is a provision for training medical attendants. Similarly, industry can motivate hospitals across the world to take Indian technicians and other skilled workers for training and career advancement.

The minister said that the health skill council headed by Dr Naresh Trehan can be a platform for espousing the cause of training the people to enhance their employability. In the present dispensation where technology is playing a major role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, a considerable number of jobs can be created in sectors like tele-medicine, tele-consultancy and also training the pharmacists manning thousands of medical shops across the country.

Stressing the need for quality healthcare across the country, Pradhan invited the healthcare providers to have regular interface with the government and concerned authorities not only for enhancing the reach of the health infrastructure, but also for creating job opportunities for millions of people and in enhancing their skill sets.

Also, speaking during the event, Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman, CII Healthcare Council and CMD, Medanta-The Medicity, stressed the need for ensuring some order in the healthcare sector. The turbulent conditions should be addressed. He informed that the industry would sit together with the minister after the Winter Session of the Parliament.

Prof Karen Eggleston, Director, Asia Health Policy Program, pointed out the need for the coming together of the public and private sectors in the healthcare sector to provide universal healthcare. Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) should be the thrust areas for countries like India and China, where NCD incidences are more.

Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman and Founder, Narayana Healthcare, laid emphasis on reforming medical education and said that MBBS doctors should be trained and oriented to perform more responsibilities since under the present rules and regulations, their role in the healthcare system is peripheral. Through proper training, they will be able to perform most of the responsibilities a specialist doctor can do.

Dr (Prof) Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, referred to the need for maintaining more quality in medical education, while creating more manpower. The change from clinical approach to investigative medicine, he said, has increased the cost of treatment and has led to mistrust between the doctor and the patient. “What we need is a mix of both to ensure affordable treatment to the patients,” he added.

Dr Preetha Reddy, Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises, called for a collaborative approach to address the problem of proliferation of NCDs, which entail huge cost for treatment.