Looking at Health in India

by Abby Berg-Hammond

India and China now have the largest absolute number of diabetics in the world, 51 million and 43 million, respectively; and cardiovascular deaths are expected to increase as incomes rise. Given the direct link between good health and productivity gains, how can current best practices be leveraged to encourage public-private partnerships in health prevention and promotion? This was a hot topic at the Forum’s recent India Economic Summit in New Delhi.

The days are over when healthcare was synonymous only with medicines and treatments. Healthcare now encompasses a greater focus on prevention, wellness and a new standard of healthy living.

We are now faced with the challenge of creating a healthier world and reversing the trends in chronic disease. No single stakeholder can solve this problem alone: governments, insurance companies, patients, healthcare providers and others must work together.

In India, the key takeaways from the Summit were:

• The availability of safe drinking water represents one of the leading health challenges.
• The Indian government plans to establish diagnostic centres at the country’s roughly 8,000 railway stations, many of which are in city centres and rural areas where the needs are high and clinics are few.
• The Indian government is keen to establish public-private partnerships in healthcare.

The magnitude and inter-connectivity of today’s global health ecosystem means the healthcare industry can no longer be expected to deal with it on its own. The next frontier of global health is collaboration, shared responsibility and mutual accountability – a paradigm shift in the approach to healthcare. In this new paradigm, business, government, academia, civil society and NGOs will join forces to tackle challenges and make healthy living tangible for everyone.