Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Dec 17: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has made a strong plea for an optimum PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model in health-care services to address the heterogeneous needs and requirements of a country as diverse as India.
He said, several years of experience both with the Government health care sector as well as the private corporate health care sector brings one to the inevitable conclusion that while India’s health care requirements today are in need of both the sectors, the other half of the truth is that the public and private sectors also cannot thrive without each other and therefore, a synergistic relationship between the two is essential for their survival.
Speaking at the 14th India Health Summit, Dr Jitendra Singh, flanked by renowned cardiologist Dr Naresh Trehan, said that in a country as heterogeneous as India, optimization of healthcare services is only possible through a healthy mix of both public and private sectors. He said, however much privatization mushrooms in the country, it will not be able to replace public sector in toto, simply because vast areas in remote and rural parts still continue to be catered only by the public sector. Similarly, on the other hand, he said, the private sector also cannot sustain for long if it continues its services only to urban or semi-urban regions.
Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed that over the last two years, he has been regularly deliberating with Dr Naresh Trehan and other friends in the private sector about the possibility of evolving an ideal mix of both the public and private sectors. He said, he is glad that Dr Trehan and other friends in the private sector have responded positively. He said, while the Corporate hospitals should be ready to open ancillary centres in rural and semi-urban areas, the Government health care service medicos should also have a provision to collaborate with their colleagues in the private sector.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, very soon, possibly after the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament is over, he will seek time from Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and arrange a brainstorming meeting between the representatives of the public and private health care sectors respectively, because the time has come when it is becoming absolutely essential to devise a mechanism wherein the private and public sectors can supplement each other’s efforts in order to offer a uniform and ideal health care service for the country.
Dr Naresh Trehan, while speaking on the occasion, dwelt at length on several constraints faced by the private health care institutions but at the same time, expressed strong willingness to voluntarily extend the services of corporate health care sector in collaboration with the government health care services. For this, he sought the government intervention and hoped that Dr Jitendra Singh will be able to facilitate the initiative which the private health sector has decided to undertake.
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