Agency report
New Delhi, Mar 14: "It is the inefficient use of resources and not the lack of it that is causing the problems in India's healthcare delivery mechanism," Dr Devi Prasad Shetty said, while addressing the conference of financing human development public lecture on healthcare sector reform in the country on Friday. He also condemned the present healthcare situation saying that a "price tag" on human lives is not justifiable.
Dr Shetty is an eminent cardiologist and philanthropist. He is also the founder of Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore. Dr Shetty said the lack of medical practitioners, obsolete and excessive laws and regulations besides the lack of paying capacity were the evils that were plaguing the Indian healthcare system.
Referring to the obsolete laws in India, he cited the example of his institute in Bangalore, which had applied to UGC for opening an university. The UGC said that the institute had excellent infrastructure and should get a NOC from the State government. But the state authorities refused to give a NOC saying that they did not hand out NOCs on principle.
Talking on rural healthcare infrastructure, Dr Shetty said that it is not possible to device an effective rural healthcare programme based on the MBBS doctors. He suggested that to bridge the gap, Ayurvedic and Homeopathic doctors should also be trained and granted permission to work for rural health programmes.
He also called for simplification of import laws. Giving an example he said that while equipment ordered on account of cancer were allowed tax exemptions, that imported on account of heart disease was not.
Dr C Rangarajan, chairman, Economic Advisory to the Prime Minister, who was also present at the event said Dr Shetty had perfected the art of cross subsidisation and his expertise in managing mass healthcare can be valuable to the nation.