Restructuring AB-PMJAY to elevating health budget: Experts suggest
New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) Echoing the urgency of healthcare reforms ranging from restructuring of Ayushman Bharat Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to accelerating the digital health mission, experts and industry leaders have outlined key priorities for the Modi government in its third consecutive term.
Their statements highlight the importance of prioritising preventive healthcare measures, strengthening infrastructure, and increasing healthcare spending.
Healthcare experts have expressed concerns about whether the government in its new term will make any difference by increasing public expenditure on healthcare to the desired level in India.
Notably, the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017, which promises to increase public health spending to 2.5 percent of the GDP, remains overdue even as Indians rely heavily on private services.
Dr Girdhar Gyani, Director General, AHPI (Association of Healthcare Providers, India) said, “In the upcoming term, we urge the government to prioritise a comprehensive approach to fostering a ‘Healthy India’. This entails promoting preventive health measures focusing on sanitation, clean drinking water, and nutrition, alongside the rapid implementation of health and wellness Centres for preventive health education and screening.”
Intensifying the ‘Fit India Movement’, strengthening occupational health schemes, and restructuring the Ayushman Bharat Yojana to reach all SECC-2011 beneficiaries are also crucial steps, Dr Gyani said.
He also highlighted the importance of incentivising the private sector to establish tertiary care facilities in tier-III cities, promoting the indigenisation of medical equipment, and accelerating the National Digital Health Mission to address healthcare infrastructure gaps and achieve universal health coverage through increased government spending.
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