New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS): The country's top industry bodies and global consulting firms have come together to draw up strategies that will address crucial health care challenges in the future.

The conglomeration will work under 'The Health Care Alliance' initiative.

The alliance includes five industry bodies, including the CII and FICCI, four knowledge partners and the policy think-tank Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).

"It is for the first time that such an august and unique set of industry bodies and knowledge partners are joining hands to facilitate deliberations on globally relevant themes in health care," Prathap C. Reddy, chairman of the Apollo hospitals and head of the alliance said at a press conference here Thursday.

PHFI president Srinath Reddy said: "Public health requires a collective societal response in order to realise the dream of universal health care for one and all."

The alliance announced its inaugural two-day global conference to be held in the capital March 3-4.