Will have to work in PPP model to ensure vaccination of 1.3 bn people: Piyush Goyal

India will play an important role for ensuring cost-effective and innovation solutions for the rest of the world: Goyal

Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Government of India addressing the valedictory session of Asia Health 2020 stated COVID has brought the world and humanity as one, to fight for a common cause.

He pointed out that divisions in society and the world are getting nullified as the common attempt to find a vaccine and the democratic distributing of the vaccine to reach all parts of the country have brought all of humanity together.

Mentioning the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative by Government of India to bring self-reliance and also develop the confidence of all Indians as a nation, Goyal said we have experienced the game changing experience and transformational changes the country is moving towards on the economic front and the social front.

He opined that we will have to work in a PPP to make the vaccine work, it cannot solely be the effort of a single sector to ensure the vaccination of 1.3 billion people. Ensuring vaccines are available at an affordable price to one and all is going to be a responsibility on all of us. India will play an important role for ensuring cost-effective and innovation solutions for the rest of the world, concluded Goyal.

Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman, CII National Council on Healthcare & Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta – The Medicity reflected that COVID-19 has allowed us to repurpose our industry to make PPEs, ventilators and  brought together all the sectors for the delivery of healthcare and progressively move towards Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Dr Trehan pointed out that India is not only meeting the demands for the consumption of the country, but also exporting to 235 countries. He predicted that India would become a manufacturing a hub and deliverer of the best quality of healthcare at affordable costs.

Suhel Seth, Chairman, CII Committee on Branding & Founder and Managing Partner Counselage said that the role of private healthcare is very important as most tertiary care is taken care of by the private healthcare system. India needs a 1000 AIIMS which will not be possible for the government alone.

According to Seth, the trust issue in the healthcare sector related to inflated bills and not providing good quality treatment is not a systemic issue as it is restricted only to a handful of healthcare providers.

He opined that private healthcare players need to establish a code of conduct and the sector needs to re-calibrate, re-examine and rejuvenate its offerings. There needs to be sector wise and category wise trust building in the healthcare sector.

He highlighted that the irony in the healthcare sector is that public hospitals are trusted but not visited and vice versa for private hospitals and said this needs to be changed. His recommendation to eliminate trust deficit is to have more stories of healthcare heroism out in the open, healthcare companies need to build healthcare code of conduct and there needs to be transparency in communication

CII Asia Health 2020 saw experts from US, UK, Singapore, Israel, Russia, Bhutan, Maldives, Angola, and many other countries coming together to deliberate on thought leadership and discuss Health, Technology, Ayurveda and how these systems can ensure healthcare delivery across Asia through India.

Imminent dignitaries, national speakers and international speakers addressed knowledge sessions on a wide range of issues that cut across the healthcare spectrum looking to develop a cohesive industry engagement with core cross sectoral policy dialogues and strategic exchanges.