INDIA HEALTHCARE MUST REINVENT ITSELF

By P.VIJIAN

NEW DELHI, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- India needs to design its own model to deliver
healthcare to its one billion people rather than depending on a western
concept, which is not applicable in the Indian context, said a top bureaucrat

Sam Pitroda, chairman of India's National Knowledge Commission, said
domestic healthcare providers, both public and private, need to rejig their
healthcare roadmaps to offer an affordable and sustainable health services to
the masses, especially in the remote areas.

"India needs its own model for healthcare and not a western model, we need
to scale up to provide an affordable and sustainable healthcare.

"Unfortunately, we have been for too long dependent on the western model of
healthcare deliveries, which works for the top of the pyramid but the cost
structure does not meet for those at the bottom of the pyramid," Pitroda, said
in his keynote address at the 6th Indian Health Summit here Thursday.

He said India was still carrying health burdens such as lack of water and
sanitation, and primary healthcare in rural areas, which was still home to more
than 60 percent of the nation's population.

India's healthcare indicators sounds grim -- the country lacks about 600,000
doctors, one million nurses and for every 10,000 Indians there is only one
doctor, compared to 548 doctors in the United States.

Almost 80 percent of the well-equipped hospitals, dispensaries and doctors
are concentrated in the urban areas.

Patients in rural areas have to travel as long as 100 kms to access quality
healthcare.

"We need to go back to our traditional system where healthcare was provided
at zero cost. Without our traditional system we cannot meet our current demand,"
he added.
-- BERNAMA