Investing in right education, sanitation helps improve health too: Doctors

HYDERABAD: Year after year, Budget after Budget, successive governments in the country have spoken about healthcare and promised to invest in basic infrastructure but the country has to go a long way to be called a developed nation. While India has made great progress in various fronts, the country still has to ensure that health care reaches the grass root levels.

Healthcare professionals from Hyderabad put in their suggestions before the centre, in the week leading to the Union Budget of 2023-24.

Stressing on the importance of efficiently using the spending, Amor Hospital AD, Dr. Kishore B. Reddy said "Every year we hear Governments announce an increased spending on healthcare and related sectors. In addition to this increased spending, it is important that Governments plan this spending in an effective and efficient manner which would help expand the reach of quality healthcare to the last mile. Let's hope there is no person left behind in accessing quality healthcare."

DVS Soma Raju, Executive Director, SLG Hospitals "Prevention must be a priority over cure when a country devises its policy on healthcare, and India, a nation with people from diverse social backgrounds needs this approach more than any other. It is the planning and efforts of successive Governments which helped India almost double its average life expectancy since Independence."

Ucchvas Rehabilitation Chairman, Dr, Ramapapa Rao said "It is important Governments encourage investments into future technologies. While India is doing well on using telemedicine efficiently, we must make considerable progress to make best use of artificial intelligence. Future technologies will help healthcare professionals to serve the weak and the aged better.”

CEO of Century Hospital opined that “Better infrastructure like improved roads connectivity too will help in delivering quality healthcare in remote areas of the country. Improving accessibility of ambulance services to the remotest areas will help deliver best healthcare to the needy, and I urge the finance minister to focus on that too.”

Dr. K. Hari Prasad, President, Apollo Group said “Investing in health has the potential to further the economy and India’s global contribution manifold. In the spirit of furthering health and unlocking India’s true human capital potential, we request the honorable ministry and the government to grant ‘Healthcare’ a preferred infrastructure status.”