NEW DELHI: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said here on Monday that the Government was ready to work with the private sector to provide better healthcare, particularly to the disadvantaged groups.

He, however, pointed that bureaucracy was the biggest stumbling block in this move.

He was speaking at a summit on "Public Health Initiatives: Public-Private Partnership Model," organised by Assocham.

Dr. Ramadoss said to remove huge discrepancies in the health sector, rules must be amended to facilitate the entry of the private sector in a big way.

There was a proposal to allow the private sector to take up public infrastructure, an arrangement that would be beneficial for both sides.

The Government was looking into the possibility of corporates taking up district hospitals and converting them into medical colleges.

"It does not mean the private sector takes over the Government sector totally, it would simply supplement the public sector."

Dr. Ramadoss said the Government was trying to set up medical parks where foreign multinational companies would invest in infrastructure.

These would be used exclusively for Indians, as such a step would substantially bring down the cost of healthcare.

Act next year

The Ministry intended to bring in a Clinical Establishment Act by next year. It would make mandatory registration of clinics, hospitals and diagnostic centres for ensuring quality facilities.

Dr. Ramadoss also favoured a universal insurance health scheme to make transactions paperless. Here, he said, the private sector could play an important role, as the public sector insurance companies had failed to deliver.

Dr. Naresh Trehan, Executive Director of Escorts Heart Research Institute, favoured the concept of corporate houses helping in running the Primary Health Centres.

World Health Organisation representative to India S.J. Habayeb assured help to India in its public-private partnership initiatives.

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