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Keep healthcare costs low, says Anbumani

Special Correspondent

Union Minister presents MMM award to CMC, Vellore

FOR EXCELLENCE: Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss (second from right), presenting the MMM Award for excellence in healthcare to George Chandy, Director, CMC Vellore, in Chennai on Friday. Dr. Kenneth Kaunda (extreme right), first President of Zambia, and Dr.Yakob Mar Irenious, president, Madras Medical Mission, are also in the picture. — Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI: The Government will not tolerate any rise in costs of healthcare, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said at a function organised to commemorate the silver jubilee of the Madras Medical Mission here on Friday.

Over the last five years, healthcare costs had been steadily increasing consequent to the boom in the medical tourism industry. The rates in India were still among the lowest in the world and the Union Government was determined to see that it stayed that way. While medical tourism could be carried on, hospitals should be careful to charge differential rates for tourists. Costs should be kept low for the citizens of the country. Otherwise, the poor and disadvantaged, especially in rural areas, would be completely cut-off from healthcare, Dr. Anbumani said.

The Government was trying to bring down the costs of patient care by promoting medical parks that would emerge as the hub for manufacturing medical equipment and diagnostic tools locally so that the prices would fall substantially. The products would be for local consumption and not for export..

Earlier, the Minister presented the MMM Award for Excellence in Healthcare to the Christian Medical College, Vellore. Congratulating the CMC and the MMM for their service in the not-for-profit segment, Dr. Anbumani urged such organisations to come together to participate in the national programme to combat non-communicable diseases.

While the Government would take care of awareness building and screening of patients, there was insufficient infrastructure in the public healthcare set up. The Government was studying a public-private partnership model, involving the private sector, but also largely healthcare institutions in the voluntary sector, he said.

The award was presented to the CMC in recognition of its exemplary contribution in providing healthcare to the poor and needy over the last century. George Chandy, Director, CMC, Vellore, and his team received the award.

The winner was chosen from a list of 103 nominations drawn up after an exhaustive screening process devised by Frost and Sullivan. Two other charitable institutions, St. Luke Leprosarium and Sankara Nethralaya also received high commendation for their service. Calling the MMM a centre of excellence in the delivery of healthcare, Kenneth Kaunda, first President of Zambia, said collaboration with the organisation would be beneficial to others.

The Kenneth Kaunda Children of Africa Foundation was involved in mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on children and orphans, he added. Later, representatives of the MMM handed over a cheque for the foundation to Mr. Kaunda.

Tamil Nadu Minister of Health K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran released a silver jubilee souvenir.

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