Thaindian News

New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Thursday reiterated that public-private partnership is needed in the health sector for facilities to reach maximum people but clarified that this would not mean privatisation of the sector.”Public-private Partnership in the context of the health sector can be a vital instrument for improving the health of the population. This partnership, however, would not mean privatisation of the health sector,” Azad said at a function at the BLK Memorial Hospital in the national capital.

The hospital was awarded Certificates of Accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) and the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).

“Partnership is not meant to be a substitution for lesser provisioning of government resources, nor an abdication of government responsibility, but as a tool for augmenting the public health system,” Azad said.

The health minister said that 70 percent of healthcare services are currently provided by the private sector.

“As per available estimates, 58 percent of hospitals, 29 percent of all beds, 81 percent of all doctors, 77 percent of outpatient cases in rural areas and 80 percent in the urban areas are in the private sector,” he said.

“We need to look at PPP as a synergetic arrangement, which ensures, that the huge private sector also contributes to public health goals,” the minister added.