Budget 2022: Industry seeks special focus on healthcare

New Delhi: “We’re looking forward to building and balancing the country’s healthcare infrastructure with government’s support as we enter the third year of the pandemic. We hope that the budget delivers a special focus on healthcare to mitigate the devastation from the coronavirus. For this, it will be pertinent to have concrete policies that ensure accessible and affordable healthcare, says Chander Shekhar Sibal, Senior Vice President, Medical Division, Fujifilm India.

“It would be great to see the allocation of funds within the states as per policy. The timeline of fund clearance should be reduced to clear roadblocks due to lack of funds. Once these are in place, we can expect better outcomes out of public-private partnerships in the space and make payment processing easier and quicker. Since healthcare has made significant advances in the light of COVID-19, this year, we would like to bring out a focus on preventive healthcare to fortify the health of the people. With a large population and a diverse requirement for healthcare across situations, we at Fujifilm are gearing up to support India’s healthcare/medical needs,” adds Sibal.

Dr. Rahul Pandit Director-Critical Care, Fortis Hospitals Mumbai, Member of National COVID19 Taskforce & Maharashtra’s COVID19 Taskforce mentions, “Currently, there is no direct evidence that NeoCov affects human body, and we should not panic or get stressed.  There are many viruses in the world that are yet to be discovered and who’s  characteristics are not known. We are going through a challenging time and should focus on managing ongoing COVID19 pandemic. I advise people not to panic,  keep their guard up and follow COVID19 appropriate protocols.”

Dr S. Narayani, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospitals, Mumbai, says “Healthcare was one of the first pillars of budget allocation last year and should continue to be an important aspect in this year’s Union Budget as well. Since the pandemic hit us, we have seen the need for and importance of an even stronger healthcare sector in India. We need to pave the way for more Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP). Secondly, there has been a growing concern for healthcare infrastructure in India which can be addressed with increased budgets in Research & Development, medical equipment procurement, development of more hospitals, and improving the overall infrastructure.”

“In India there is a lack of a skilled healthcare workforce, a dedicated budget should be allocated to address the need to create sufficient manpower and for skill development of paramedical staff, nurses, etc. Focusing on healthcare and meeting these needs will help us prepare for years to come,” adds Dr Narayani.