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OPINION
- We can also
generate substantial
findings around
disease trends by
analysing electronic
records of patients.
role by shifting focus from ‘sick-care’ to
‘wellness care’ and allocating budgets for
public health from 1.4% to 2.5% of the GDP
through the National Health Policy.
The past year witnessed some turbu-
lence, challenges and uncertainties with
several questions and conversations
around healthcare providers and profes-
sionals, heightened by what was some-
times a very challenging discussion around
the topic of healthcare in India. There
were many unprecedented debates and
a resultant low ebb of trust between the
common man and healthcare providers, be
it doctors or hospitals. It was a time when
a section of the healthcare industry could
not adequately voice its concerns. We have
to remember that any debate should never
be about public vs private healthcare or
doctors vs patients. The dialogue should be
on how to make world class quality service
delivery affordable and accessible to wider
sections of our society.
Some recent developments this year
provide an opportunity for healthcare
services to redefine their role. Recently,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched
the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Abhiyan- Ayushman Bharat, which is tipped as the
world’s largest health assurance scheme,
under which the most vulnerable sections
of our country can get access to quality
hospitalisation and treatments at empan-
eled public and private hospitals free of
cost, as the hospitalisation expenses up
to Rs 5 lakhs per family, per year will be
borne by the Government. In the next four
years, the Government is also starting 1.5
lakh health and wellness centres across
the country to cater to minor ailments,
diagnostic tests and referrals. This is a
historic opportunity for all key stakehold-
ers, including private hospitals, clinicians,
nurses, para-medical and allied staff, medi-
cal colleges and institutions to understand
how we all can be a part of this mission.
The Ayushman Bharat mission has actu-
ally highlighted the urgent need for public-
private partnerships, to ensure universal
access to good quality healthcare services.
The scheme cannot be a success without
the active participation of the private sec-
tor and its increased involvement in tier-I,
II and III cities in the next decade is ex-
pected to further drive the Indian health-
care sector’s growth in the future. To end
this, many of the large private healthcare
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