BUDGET WISHLIST: Healthcare

CEOSPEAK: Shivinder Mohan Singh, CEO & MD, Fortis Healthcare

I am looking forward to the government granting "Infrastructure Status" to the healthcare sector. I expect the government to support robust public health programmes. I also hope the government provides a policy framework to facilitate consolidation. The government also needs to Budget for medical insurance premiums to help those who can't afford quality medical care.

Chamber-Speak

FICCI
Infrastructure status for healthcare services will lead to mushrooming of corporate run tertiary healthcare centeres, leading to lowering of prices of healthcare services. The government should give 10 years tax holiday out of 15 years to healthcare sector from the commencement of commercial production under Section 80 IA of the Income Tax Act. Companies offering training and educational facilities in medical, dental, nursing, midwifery, paramedical among others should be granted tax exemption under Section 10 of the Income Tax Act

STATE OF PLAY

Rajarshi Sengupta, Leader Healthcare Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Revamping the public health system especially at primary care level to improve health outcomes is important. Enhanced Budgetary Support is one step. Formal mechanisms to include AYUSH practitioners in healthcare delivery will help tackle the human resources shortage. Viable PPP models should be developed to improve service, especially in rural areas.

Technology improves healthcare access, quality and cost. Telemedicine enhances the reach of the healthcare systems. Hospitals use Telemedicine networks but these remain isolated efforts. A National Telemedicine Policy aimed at making these services available "on demand" is the need of the hour.

Electronic Medical Records improve quality & reduce the cost of healthcare delivery. The government should lay down standards for EMRs with NASSCOM & provide incentives, say 100 per cent depreciation in the first year for increased IT usage.

Reducing the capital requirements for health insurance will stimulate competition. The government should facilitate collection of accurate health information, which can form the basis for new insurance products. Growth in healthcare facilities in smaller cities is important to stimulate health insurance penetration. Affordable social insurance is however the ideal solution.

Non-availability of hospital beds affects health outcomes adversely. PPPs reduce the financial burden of state governments. Providing infrastructure status to Healthcare projects in Tier II / III towns will spur growth in healthcare facilities.

Capacity building through education and training for medical nursing and paramedical personnel should be taken up immediately with private sector involvement. Allowing private sector doctors to provide services in government hospitals in return for tax incentives will ameliorate the human resource shortage in the short-term.

Physical Infrastructure limitations constrain the growth of healthcare. Health sector faces competition from retail, housing and commercial sectors, raising costs and making health projects unviable. The government must ensure land availability at reasonable rates for the health sector. Concessional power tariffs reduce healthcare projects costs and encourage private sector investments.

Reducing waiting time for visas, visa-on-arrival, long-term multi-entry visa will increase the flow of medical tourists. The government should support Indian Hospitals' efforts to lobby with foreign insurance firms for reimbursement of medical costs incurred in medical tourism.