From Health for All, Higher spending to scaling up Ayushman Bharat & creating robust  infrastructure,  Future goals set in political health manifestos are achievable only with robust partnerships

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 health for all are actionable. 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 encompass 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 percent 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 Mr. 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.