Indian health system going the costly US way: Pitroda

October 07, 2009 07:43 pm | Updated December 17, 2016 04:38 am IST - New Delhi

Chairman of National Knowledge Commission, Sam Pitroda speaks during an event in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

Chairman of National Knowledge Commission, Sam Pitroda speaks during an event in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

National Knowledge Commission chief Sam Pitroda on Wednesday said that the Indian health system was going the “highly unaffordable American way” and suggested going back to roots to provide cheap healthcare benefits to those at the bottom of the social pyramid.

“India needs to find a new health model, we are drifting towards an increasingly expensive US model,” Pitroda, the principal advisor to the Prime Minister on Infrastructure, Innovation and Information, said.

“The way we are heading, we will not be able to meet the healthcare needs of the poor,” he said at a CII conference here. Mr. Pitroda voiced concern that India was going the “highly unaffordable American way” in healthcare.

He also lamented that there is “very little original” medical research going on in the country. “There should be new ways of looking at things, in skill development, sustainability and new paradigm,” he said.

Simple personal healthcare models like gathering and storing health information through mobiles can be very helpful in a country like India, Mr. Pitroda said.

The 68-year-old Mr. Pitroda, who was born in a tribal village in Orissa, said that there is a lot of wisdom in traditional medicine which is being overlooked today.

“It is time to go back to history to learn how to provide cheap and effective healthcare,” he said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.