Head to Head

We have been working very closely with the Indian government on blueprints and we have been making the case that it has to invest more. The loss of income associated with the onset of diseases is very substantial as it affects both the family and the business. Many of these chronic diseases are preventable. Investing to keep people away from these diseases keeps them in the workforce and can generate the maximum return on investment.

If your goal is to have universal health coverage, the poor have to be taken care of by the government

Aiming for a universal health care coverage for all its citizens, where should India start from? I think the National Health Plan is a great starting point. The government has outlined some laudable goals of decreasing prevalence of diseases. How can the government bring in the private sector? In some countries, it’s mandatory to have health insurance or pay a penalty. The government and private sector can figure out what sort of a policy it should be, the diseases it should cover et ceteraby collecting and analysing data at a national level. Is a universally designed health care policy that is common for the working class the way forward? I think it’s a good idea to have a policy that at least covers a basic list of diseases. The focus of the policy should also be on providing better primary care, so that the premiums can be kept low. That covers about 80 per cent of people’s health care needs. Start with that, and over time you can have universal coverage for more catastrophic illnesses.