NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday announced that the Centre had asked the Planning Commission to make an assessment of the human resource scenario in the health sector with a view to addressing inequalities in the provision of health care services in the country.

The study would address issues such as region-wise imbalances, problems in terms of the capacity for absorption of extra financial resources, and distortions in the distribution of specialisations among doctors.

While States such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat might have acceptable standard, there were several States in the country, which did not have even the minimum number of institutions to turn out support staff for health care. There were also serious lacunae in the capacity of the sector to absorb and optimally utilise extra financial resources. In addition, the "skewed'' distribution of specialisations was a matter of serious concern.

Social context ignored

Launching a new public-private initiative called Public Health Foundation of India, which seeks to set up five world-class public health institutions in different parts of the country, he rued that the management of health in the country had so far overly focussed on clinical management of diseases and ignored the larger social and economic context. He commended the new Foundation for aiming to train professionals in disciplines related to health, such as economics, sociology, demography and environment in addition to management of diseases. "We need to develop a new cadre of professionals, who are managers of health and not just of diseases."

He expressed the hope that the Foundation would also work towards developing a India-centred health research agenda, invest in capacity building in existing public health institutions, help the State Governments in mobilising resources to strengthen their public health infrastructure and undertake programmes in health education.

The setting up of the Foundation, he said, presented a unique opportunity to develop innovative models for public-private partnership in other major social sector programmes also.

Such partnerships could help blend the commitment of the Government with the operational efficiency of not-for-profit private groups.

Noteworthy examples

Citing Dr. V. Shanta's Cancer Institute in Chennai and Dr. Devei Shetty's hospitals as noteworthy examples of such groups, he said it was regrettable that the record of the private sector in health care provisioning had not been as good as expected.

"We are all familiar with reports of unethical practices, including commissions given in return for referral and diagnostic work. We must have appropriate measures to tackle these maladies." He emphasised that apart from improving the health status of the country, efforts to improve the public health institutions in the country could have global ramifications.

"India faces the possibility of becoming a global destination for cheap and high quality healthcare. The demographic contrast between a young India and an ageing world gives us an opportunity to train professionals at different levels to meet the needs of the emerging global health care industry.''

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