15 key priorities for transforming Indian healthcare sector in big way

In its recent report titled '15 top priorities for transforming Indian healthcare: the 2024 agenda', KPMG has identified top 15 priorities for transforming Indian healthcare and achieving the 2024 agenda. These priorities include expanding financing for 'Healthy India'; promoting 'Healthy India' as a mass movement; launching a Healthcare Sector Promotion Programme; ensuring health coverage for all; strengthening the primary care system; redefining and reviving public-private partnerships; driving Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) till the last mile; 'National Health App' for aggregating healthcare services across the value chain; 'National Task Force' for healthcare workforce development; building a 'National Medical Network'; developing 'National Health Quality Index' and transparency system; strengthening Medical hubs/Medicities across India; stepping up the national surveillance system; utilising Telemedicine, Virtual care, and Metaverse; and decarbonising the healthcare system.

The KPMG has rightly identified the top priorities for transforming Indian healthcare as the Covid-19 pandemic has become one of the biggest health emergencies faced by the global community, affecting not only health systems across nations but also economic structures. India was no exception as the country also had to navigate through the pandemic and a myriad of other challenges by undertaking strategies to balance both the health and economic stability of the country. The pandemic has altered Indian healthcare and is approaching transformation beyond recognition. Both the government and the private players made several changes in the overall healthcare sector to ensure the readiness and resilience of healthcare systems and prepare the country against the Covid-19 pandemic. Several technological, regulatory and operational changes have been made to transform the way the public health system works, patients are treated and private providers operate.

If we delve deep into the system, it is clear that disposable incomes and lifestyle changes, coupled with increasing population, have led the disease patterns to change significantly from communicable to sedentary lifestyle-related diseases. This needs a paradigm shift in terms of our healthcare policies as well as in establishing a synergy between public and private healthcare sectors while providing increased impetus to health tech start-ups. Obviously, significant progress has been made through several initiatives, including the flagship Ayushman Bharat, which covers the cost of secondary and tertiary-level hospitalisation for 100 million underprivileged families, and will be expanded to 400 million more at a small premium. The launch of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has been a big move towards the digitisation of the Indian healthcare sector.

In such a background, certain national priority areas should have been identified to pave the way for the transformation of the healthcare industry in the country. The healthcare industry in the times ahead will be shaped by many forces. However, the critical forces governing Indian healthcare in the next decade should include the top 15 priorities identified by the KPMG for transforming Indian healthcare and achieving the 2024 agenda. The healthcare sector in the country needs an apex regulatory body and a single-window approval system to improve ease of doing business and better growth of the sector in the near future. As the health sector regulatory compliances vary from state to state in India, there is an emerging need to simplify the regulatory framework with a single-window approval system, minimise compliance requirements and maximise self- governance by the adoption of standard practices and benchmarking. Besides, there is an urgent need to institutionalise an apex body that can ensure a uniform regulatory framework for healthcare across the country. Apart from these areas, catering to the emerging healthcare landscape in India like digital health, artificial intelligence, machine learning, software as a medical device and other such areas is a key to simplifying the governance systems. The government needs to come up with various measures including a Healthcare Infrastructure Development Fund and a Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for healthcare sector apart from joining hands with the private sector to tap the potential of the youth to create a strong medical workforce for the growth of the healthcare sector in the near future.

While the government has set up dedicated funds and schemes for supporting infrastructure development across various sectors like Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), start- ups, electronic development, medical devices parks and others, there are limited low-cost capital options for the private sector to leverage for the development of healthcare infrastructure in the country. So, there is a dire need to set up a healthcare fund promoted by the Central and state governments to provide capital at low cost, support with dedicated viability gap funding, subsidies on medical equipment and financial benefits linked to the development of projects across Tier-II and Tier- III cities. Of course, there is a need to set up a task force for the healthcare sector promotion programme. Dedicated and comprehensive efforts are required to drive the healthcare sector promotion agenda with objectives of increasing private sector participation, infrastructure development, investments & promotion engagement at national and international platforms, supporting structured financing at low cost, enabling ease of regulatory approval and interface between investors and the government. The healthcare sector has huge potential for medical tourism and attracting foreign investment. So, the government should take the KPMG report with the deserving seriousness for the growth of the healthcare industry in the country.

(The author is freelance journalist with varied experience in different fields)