India will encourage public-private-partnerships (PPPs) in the treatment and control of diseases like diabetes and cancer. The government is working on the modalities of a national cancer treatment and awareness programme that involves significant private industry participation, RK Srivastava, director general, health services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.
Speaking at a healthcare session in the World Economic Forum India Summit, Srivastava said a national programme at an estimated cost of Rs 5,000 crore could take cancer care up to the district level in the country. Inviting private participation in the project, he said that PPPs — involving agencies like the Global Fund, GAVI and the domestic industry — have delivered good results in areas like TB and HIV/ AIDS control.
Agreeing to the suggestions for stronger PPPs, Sanjiv Chadha, CEO, PepsiCo India Holdings, said Pepsi is already active in promoting such joint initatives. “Partnerships are good. But since they are unlikely partnerships, long-term trust and commitment is needed from all stakeholders to turn such events sustainable in the long run,” he said.
Chadha said Pepsico, with its strengths in moulding consumer preferences, can be ideal partners in creating more awareness on the need for healthy life. “Companies like Pepsico are very keen and willing partners. We are talking about customer behaviour and their changing attitudes. We have a huge distribution system and our technology can help consumers have affordable and tasty nutritional products,” Chadha added.
Scott Ratzan, president, global health and government affairs, Johnson and Johnson highlighted the need for speeding up changes in the policy environment to make people healthier. “We need more patient data and analysis at various levels to understand how we could create models for treatment as well as prevention of diseases like diabetes,” Ratzan said. Public health expert Mukti Bosco, co-founder and secretary-general, Healing Fields, and Shilpa Deshpande, president ICICI Centre for Child Health and Nutrition, also spoke.