Union Health Secretary P K Pradhan announced on Wednesday January 2, 2013, that Indian doctors who practice medicine overseas will be allowed to work in India without clearing any screening tests. In the Global Healthcare Summit, the Minister also announced that the Centre was ready with the bill that'll amend the original MCI (Medical Council of India) Act and allow NRI’s to practice in India. These amendments were made after several NRI professional doctors demanded change in the MCI Act.
Furthermore, the Government will be presenting the bill during the Budget session of the Parliament. The Minister made the announcement at a three day forum on healthcare. The summit, attended by some of the most prominent figures in the medical industry as well as top officials from the Centre and State, witnessed both sectors jointly working out the legalities to broaden the Public- Private Partnership model. It was a historically significant moment in the summit when regulatory authorities and leading figures in the industry met face-to-face.
At the summit, the Minister encouraged both ideas and partnerships from the private sector. Sources have revealed that the Government is planning to revamp secondary healthcare by improving the quality of district hospitals. Furthermore, the private sector can play a major role in healthcare by partnering with the government in fields like diagnostic services and labs. Another area where contribution from the private sector would make a difference is if district hospitals run medical colleges in order to increase their capacity for post-graduate students.
The summit was an open forum for the private sector to air their ideas. Many encouraged these private players, under corporate social responsibility, to reserve 10 percent of their services free of cost to the poor, making healthcare more accessible.At the summit, the idea of the private sector and the government making a joint roadmap to create accessible, cheap medicine and make healthcare more accessible was discussed.
Many renowned figures in the private sector have expressed enthusiasm at the idea of working with other stakeholders and forging partnerships to increase access to quality healthcare. The idea of the setting up medical institutions in each district was also a subject for discussion.
The summit played host to some extremely distinguished guests from the government such as the Device Controller of India Dr Eswara Reddy, Chairman of Medical Council of India Dr K K Talwar, Principal Health Secretary in Kerala - Shri Rajeev Sadanandan. It also welcomed guests from the academia and the industry including Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences medical director Dr Prem Nair, president of American Medical Association Dr Jeremy Lazarus, Health Attache from US Embassy in Delhi Mr Stevan Smith, Dr Rajan Badwe of Tata Institute, Dr Philip Augustine of Lakeshore Hospital, Mr Bob Miglani of Pfizer, M Cherian of Frontier Healthcare and Dr Neal Simon of American University of Antigua.
Source: The Economic Times
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