While predicting that India will become a global healthcare destination, Pratap C.Reddy, chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, has observed that the nation is confronted with three major challenges in this sector – an acute demand-supply gap of hospital beds, severe shortage of health human resources and the new threat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) .
Delivering the 23 convocation address of the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University here on Wednesday, he said the required bed-to-population ratio was 30 per 10,000 individuals.
In order to attain the global benchmark in this regard, India would require an investment of Rs 6.40 lakh crore. “The government needs to proactively give a stimulus to health so that we will be able to fill the huge demand-supply gap”, he added.
Similarly, he wanted the health human resources augmented – the number of doctors from seven lakh to 15 lakh, nurses from 8 lakh to 25 lakh and paramedics from 25 lakh to one crore. This would result in “good quality healthcare facilities and thereby generate employment opportunities for the large young populace”.
Dr. Reddy expressed deep concern over the “burgeoning burden” of the rapidly growing NCDs that accounted for over two-thirds of deaths in the country.
The World Health Organisation had forecast that in the next decade India would spend about 270 billion dollars for treating these NCDs. “But, more importantly, it is going to lose crucial youth who are driving the economic progress of our country. We need to tackle this pandemic by creating greater awareness.”
Dr.Reddy was confident that harnessing technology could transform healthcare delivery at the rural and semi-rural level. “The vision to achieve health for all is achievable given the right mix of resources, technology, innovation and all round stimulus”.
He counselled the present generation to work with compassion bringing “high tech with high touch”.
Three ‘Bs'
For this he suggested that they should take recourse to three “Bs”–bytes, bandwidth and biology.
While IT could result in better care and quicker diagnostics, wireless technology would be immensely beneficial for telemedicine and its multiple forms that could transform healthcare.
And biomarkers and perception are early wins in what will be a revolution in healthcare, he added.
Tamil Nadu Governor and Chancellor of the university K.Rosaiah conferred the degrees and those who participated included V.S.Vijay,Health Minister and Pro-Chancellor, S.Kameswaran, Past Director of the PG Institute of Basic Medical Sciences,Taramani, and Mayilvahanan Natarajan, Vice-Chancellor.
Mohammod Delwar Hossain, a Major in Bangladesh Army, who was officially deputed by the Bangladesh armed forces to learn cochlear implant surgery and establish an independent programme on it in Bangladesh, received a post-doctoral fellowship.
He is the first overseas candidate to receive the fellowship of the university since it was started last year.
