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Dr. Rana Mehta – Partner and Leader Healthcare, PwC:
“The allocation to Ayushman Bharat has been tripled which reinforces the commitment towards Universal Healthcare for all citizens and the vision for a healthy India by 2030. However to spurn demand from the middle classes increased deduction towards medical insurance premium under section 80D could have been considered. Zero rating of GST for the sector would also have helped catalyse investment in the delivery space.”
Here is the post budget quote from Ms. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group:
“The interim budget threw light on the Government’s dedication to a healthy India with a distress-free healthcare system. The budget mentioned the Government’s aim to bridge the urban rural divide and provide benefits that people in a city have to those staying in villages. Healthcare should be a critical component of these efforts. We must not lose this opportunity to address the urban-rural imbalance in health infrastructure and ensure specific policies to encourage private sector to invest in the same. The announcement of a National Centre on Artificial Intelligence is also a big positive. AI today has great potential in transforming and designing new tools which will equip doctors in the fight against non-communicable diseases. At Apollo, we have already taken the first step with an Intelligent Platform designed to predict cardiovascular disease risk score for Indians.”
The post budget reaction from Dr. Manoj Luthra, CEO- Jaypee Hospital:
“The honourable finance minister’s proposals laid out in today’s budget are commendable. The focus on assuring access to quality healthcare services has the potential to change the way Indians live and work. National Health Protection Scheme-Ayushman Bharat has taken long strides to ensure the achievement of the Prime Minister’s vision of providing quality and affordable healthcare facilities to all. Already around 10 lakh poor and vulnerable people have benefited through the free medical treatment made available under the scheme. Significant number of poor and middle class people are also benefitting from the reduction in prices of essential medicines, cardiac stents and knee implants at affordable prices. Government’s approach to advance the healthcare infrastructures of the economy by inaugurating multi-speciality hospitals such as AIIMS or primary healthcare centres is also significant.
Healthcare is a backbone of any economy and a healthy India is essential to keep up the growth momentum of our nation and contribute towards becoming a $5 trillion economy in the next five years. I congratulate government on their visionary approach to building a distress-free and comprehensive healthcare system for all.”
Shanthini Arunthavanathan, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Westminster Healthcare, Chennai:
The 2019-20 union budget comes as a cheer to many due to the government’s attempt of creating a mass -budget this year with special focus on rural health. Ayushman Bharat Scheme that was launched last year for providing medical treatment to around 50 crore people have so far treated 10 lakh people who could save nearly Rs 3,000 crore. This is a great achievement by the country’s healthcare and roping in private hospitals to the scheme as proposed by the government last year will certainly provide more teeth to it. However, more allocation of fund for appropriate execution of the scheme was a necessity and was expected. Apart from announcing about 14 new AIIMS since 2014, the announcement regarding setting up of 22nd All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Haryana is a welcome move towards enhancing advanced medical research in India, producing a greater number of qualified medical professionals and expanding opportunities for the aspiring medical students of the country. The government’s vision towards having a distress free healthcare and a functional, comprehensive healthcare system by 2030 are praiseworthy. Availability of drugs at a subsidised price at Jan Aushadhi Kendras and implementation of a price cap on drugs have made medicine affordable for all. With five lakh villages being declared open-defecation free along with achievement of over 98% rural sanitation coverage, there will be a certain improvement in both rural and urban health condition.
Mr. Arindam Haldar, CEO, SRL Diagnostics:
“The interim budget presented by the honourable finance minister is on expected lines given that the country is going to polls in another few months. However, we would have expected more for the healthcare and diagnostics sector given that that seems to be the stated focus of the government since the beginning. The last year has been a challenging one for India’s private healthcare providers. Increasing costs of doing business as well as an overall slowdown in consumers business due to increased competition and most of the sector being in expansion mode. The overall sector has become less attractive for investments without which growth gets hindered significantly.
We welcome the proposals for the middle class and we expect it will encourage people to increase expenditure on consumer healthcare and preventive care. Further, the intent expressed in the budget, especially regarding the goals and increased fund allocation for Ayushman Bharat, are commendable. But what remains to be seen is the execution part of it. The government must look at better partnerships and incentives for the private healthcare and diagnostic providers if it expects to successfully achieve its target of universal healthcare for all in the country in the next few years.
The cost reduction of secondary and tertiary care hospitalization facilities and medication has already benefitted lakhs of people across the nation. The proposal to strengthen the healthcare infrastructures of the economy by inaugurating multi-speciality hospitals such as AIIMS or primary healthcare centres is also to be appreciated.”
