New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS): Public private partnerships and wider health insurance coverage will be the key for making healthcare widely available in India, union Law Minister Salman Khurshid said Wednesday.

Talking to reporters after inaugurating a first-of-its-kind robotic surgery section at Fortis Escort Hospital here, Khurshid said it was time for India to create health infrastructure for future.

"This is time for India to create facilities like this. Access to quality healthcare will be possible by health insurances, and we are taking more steps to create better healthcare through public private partnership," Khurshid said.

The International Centre for Robotic Surgery (ICRS) at the hospital has an advanced version of the Da-Vinci robot, which allows more precision and accuracy in surgeries.

"The centre will bring enormous benefits to patients in India," ICRS founding chairman Sudhir Srivastava said.

"The centre will also train doctors to perform these complex surgeries," he added.

According to doctors here, robotic surgery in India is far cheaper compared to Western countries. It costs nearly 10 to 15 percent more that traditional operations.