Addressing the ‘FICCI HEAL 2009’ conference on the theme ‘Future of Healthcare: Integration, Inclusion and Quality’, Azad said, “PPP must be seen in the context of viewing the whole medical sector as a national asset with health promotion as a goal for all health providers, private or public. The potential areas where private players can play a crucial role are provision of health services, control and surveillance, diagnostics and medicines, health manpower, capacity building, including training and systems development, managerial services and auxiliary activities of the health sector.”

The Health Minister said in order to accelerate the progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and combat communicable as well as non-communicable diseases effectively, the Centre was supporting the states in reforming the state-supported public health delivery system. “However, expenditure in health must go up considerably. Health was a state subject and the state governments also need to raise public expenditure on health. It is only through a partnership of the Central and the state governments that the objective of two to three per cent of gross domestic product, public expenditure can be achieved,” he pointed out.

Shivinder Mohan Singh, chairman, FICCI Health Services Committee and managing director, Fortis Healthcare Ltd, emphasised the need for the government, large and small players to work in integrated manner, expand the talent pool, access to cheaper, quality technology, accreditation, standardisation, sharing of outcomes and the need for health exchange for data and access to healthcare for the bottom end of the population.