Private sector should join PM Jan Arogya Yojana to deliver tertiary care: Cabinet Secretary

Public health to be the focus of PPP: Former Secretary, MoEF&CC  

Mumbai, October 02, 2020: Mr Rajiv Gauba, Cabinet Secretary, Government of India today said that in just two years after its launch, the PM Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) movement has become a hugely successful platform for delivering tertiary care to some of the most vulnerable sections of our population.

Addressing webinar on ‘FICCI Healthcare Excellence Awards’, during the three-day ‘HEAL-2020’, Mr Gauba urged the private sector to come forward and join the PM Jan Arogya Yojana movement. “The private sector hospitals, particularly the big groups should come forward and join this platform,” he said.

Mr Gauba said that as a country we have emerged from a state of total dependence on imports to being exporters of COVID-19 necessary medical items. “Today we have 187 labs in the government sector and 749 private testing labs for COVID testing,” he added.

He further stated that the larger challenge of making healthcare affordable and accessible will continue to be with us even after the COVID-19 situation. “We need to improve our health infrastructure by coming up with innovative solutions, new approaches so that healthcare delivery can improve, especially at the last mile. We must improve healthcare indicators and make them comparable to the developing countries,” added Mr Gauba.

“I urge FICCI and the healthcare industry to launch mass awareness on COVID-19 appropriate behaviour as economic activities open up. With the advent of the festival season and winter it’s extremely important that people don’t let their guard down, he further added.

Mr Gauba also complimented FICCI in recognizing excellence in the healthcare sector. “The awards are a recognition of not only the outstanding work done by individuals and institutions but, in fact, the entire fraternity of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals,” he said.

Mr CK Mishra, Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt of India said that the private sector has proven to the world that India is the hub of providing best cost-effective treatment. “As a country, we have moved ahead, the speed or the destination can be questioned but the fact that we are taking the correct path cannot be denied. It is time to celebrate the success and good work and move ahead,” he said.

Emphasizing on the importance of PPP, Mr Mishra added that healthcare is a partnership between the private and public sector along with the pooling of resources from both sides in taking the country ahead. “It is the government’s responsibility to create a platform to facilitate this. The private sector participation adds value to the entire spectrum of public health which should be at the core of our belief,” he added.

Mr Mishra said, “We (the public and private sector) must look closely at promoting public health. We should not be looking at a society where we are too eager to treat a sick man but not that eager to push preventive health. Public health should be at the centre of what we do,” he said.

Dr Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI said that there has been no time in the history that healthcare has been so centre-stage. “We must collectively ideate, build new solutions and stand up to serve in the face of all kinds of adversities. India has handled the COVID crisis with tremendous innovation, bravery, alacrity and has come together in a way that we can all actually be very proud of,” she said.

Dr Reddy further said that the award ceremony is to celebrate the COVID-19 heroes of the healthcare sector. The concepts of innovation, sustainability, impact and scalability are very critical parameters. FICCI HEAL is a confluence of the best minds in healthcare, she added.

Dr Narottam Puri, Advisor, FICCI Health Services Committee; Former Chairman-NABH; Advisor- Medical Operations, Fortis Healthcare Ltd, said that the Healthcare Excellence Awards have evolved as the most credible and coveted in the healthcare sector in a short span of time. “It has taken us a long journey of trying to keep modifying the awards from time to time in keeping up with the traditions of the practices,” he stated.

Mr Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI said that the excellence in healthcare awards are special and relevant during these times. “Over the years we have been able to create a credible platform that not only recognizes but provides a fillip for further innovation and excellence in healthcare,” he added.

List of winners – 12^thFICCI Healthcare Excellence Awards: 

Winners – Individual Categories

Winners – General Categories 

Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)