Stakeholders deliberate accessibility, debate whether pricing hinders access to health care in India

To address the burgeoning concern about the need to ensure health care access in India, ASSOCHAM organized the conference “Access to Healthcare” in New Delhi, India, on November 17. The event brought together health experts and industry leaders to elicit their views on aspects such as affordability and outreach, health care innovations and health insurance. Health care organizations, NGOs and pharmaceutical companies shared their contributions towards the improvement of healthcare in the country.

Kewal Handa, chairman of the ASSOCHAM Drug and Pharma Council, and managing director of Pfizer’s Indian unit, said: “The topic is of importance and needs to be addressed impartially from a holistic point of view. Availability, affordability and acceptance are all parts of access.” He added that Indian medicines are the lowest priced in the world and the Indian health care market is the most competitive for pharmaceutical companies. So the issue is bigger than just that. Availability of medicines and facilities at the right time and provision of an umbrella of insurance coverage are imperative.

The event was supported by India Health Progress, an independent initiative of institutions and individuals aligned towards ensuring universal access to healthcare in India, whose principal advisor, Aman Gupta, said: “India’s diverse and multicultural society, characterized by overpopulation and rapid but unequal economic growth, often faces underutilization of effective health care. Many factors contribute to this burden. It is imperative for health care authorities to take a series of steps to address all issues that impede access, not pricing alone.”