Pragmatic policies needed for healthcare in Interim Budget, says CEO of Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute

With the Interim Budget for 2023-24 set to be announced on Thursday, public health continues to be a major focus area for the country. D.S. Negi, CEO of the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre (RGCIRC), shared his insights with Business Today, about the necessity of budgetary incentives to tackle the shortages of healthcare professionals and the significance of private involvement and partnerships. Edited excerpts:

BT: What are your expectations and concerns regarding healthcare in the upcoming interim budget, especially regarding primary health care centres?

DSN: The government’s recent measures to accelerate the growth of the healthcare sector have been heartening, and I am sure that the spirit will continue to be reflected in the upcoming Interim Budget to address critical challenges through pragmatic policies. A major challenge is the shortage in the availability of qualified health professionals in primary health care centres, which includes doctors, nurses, and technicians. While the number of training institutes has increased in recent years, we would like to see budgetary incentives from the government to accelerate the growth of such centres.

BT: How do you propose to address the burden faced by India’s secondary and tertiary care segments?

DSN: Another challenge is faced by India's secondary and tertiary healthcare sectors, which are overburdened due to a lack of basic infrastructure at the primary level. While the government does endeavour to enhance the availability of basic diagnostic equipment at the primary health care centres, we would also recommend a hub-and-spoke model, where tertiary care becomes a referral point for primary and secondary levels.

BT: What measures do you believe are necessary to address the scalability issue in healthcare?

DSN: The scale of the Indian population is one more challenge, because catering to such a population is a herculean task for any government. We need a greater policy push to encourage private participation and create viable public-private partnerships to achieve equitable healthcare for all. The final frontier is technology, and the government must prioritise the adoption of newer technologies across various healthcare domains to enhance good clinical outcomes and elevate the overall patient experience.