Healthcare bigwigs give Budget thumbsup

Hyderabad: Dr K.K. Aggarwal of Indian Medical Association said, “It’s a pro-poor Budget and inclined more towards the poorer sections of the society. There is very little for the aam janata. The push for health coverage and insurance has been big. It is hoped that many more people will fall under the insured category from this year onwards. At least one medical college for every three Parliamentary constituencies and at least one government medical college in each state is a positive step towards addressing the shortage of doctors in the country.”

Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecological Societies of India secretary-general Dr Hrishikesh D. Pai said, “Prevention is key to ensuring good health, something that the Budget has adequately focused on. Preventive health becomes important in light of the fact that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are rising leading to other conditions such as infertility. Addressing NCDs can help prevent many associated complications. It remains to be seen to what extent the provisions in the Budget materialise. Technology such as Artificial Intelligence is making a dent in medicine and diagnosis. The push towards exploring possibilities in this regard is a good move.”

Co-founder of Healthcare at Home Vivek Srivastava said, “Upgrading district hospitals to government medical colleges is also a welcome move. Home healthcare could play an instrumental role in bridging the infrastructure gap further. By including it in the ambit of the universal health protection scheme accessibility and affordability can further be improved for the rural population.” Apollo Hospitals chairman Dr Pratap Reddy said, “It was an out-of-box thinking which was the need to the hour. This initiative will be a game-changer in secondary and tertiary healthcare.”

Telangana Super specialty Hospitals Association general secretary Govind Hari  said, “It’s a great boon to 50 crore people who will benefit the best from the scheme. But the biggest challenge will be on how the pricing of the packages is going to be.”

Paras Healthcare managing director Dr Dharminder Nagar said, “The medical insurance penetration currently stands at a mere 20 per cent. Seen from this perspective, the government’s commitment to provide up to '5 lakh per year per family is a much welcome move. This means that the insurance cover to more Indians must be increased.  The healthcare industry was expecting relief from GST on medical equipment. Unfortunately, this concern has not been addressed.”