Budget 2017 wishlist: Expectations from the healthcare sector

Budget 2017 

Health care services to be exempt under the new GST regimen, says Rana Mehta


Sector size: $110 bn (2016)
Employment figure: 4.2 mn (2016) (Source Startup Page)
Contribution to GDP: 4.7% of GDP is spent on healthcare
(Source World Bank.org - Banking and Loans)

 Key issues or areas of concern for each sector
  • Need for introducing universal health care coverage with due weightage to quality of care delivered
  • Growing burden of non-communicable disease
Sector demands
  • Viable reimbursement models for the private sector
  • Ensure GST is not applicable to health care services

Rana Mehta, Leader Healthcare, PwC

PwC point of view
  • Health care services to be exempt under the new GST regimen. This will ensure greater accessibility to care and catalyse the growth of the industry
  • Instituting a health care savings fund for all salaried employees similar to the PF scheme which would be tax deductible
  • No GST on health insurance premiums to help better penetration
  • Allowing a separate deduction for preventive health checks of Rs 10,000 per family. This will ensure early detection and treatment of disease


Sanjay Murdeshwar
Managing Director, AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited
“We expect to see an increased share of the GDP for health expenditure to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, asthma and cancer. Providing impetus to innovation such as newer health care delivery models, digital technologies and molecular diagnostics is needed to increase accuracy and efficiency in diagnosis and treatment of these diseases”

S Sridhar
Managing Director, Pfizer Ltd
“The health care expenditure should increase substantially from its current allocation, which is less than 2% of our GDP. The government should work towards effectively implementing a tiered pricing mechanism, like Jan Aushadhi that provides access to medicines in a targeted manner. It should also encourage private partnerships and other similar distribution platforms to scale up the Jan Aushadhi programme both geographically and through the availability of essential medicines” Read more

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Before Bahubali 2, makers to release Bahubali 1 again

Image
Rana Daggubati and Prabhas are overwhelmed with the response to the trailer of Bahubali 2 Director S S Rajamouli wants the audiences to revisit the world of "Bahubali" before the release of " Bahubali 2: The Conclusion" . Rajamouli today said they are planning to show the first part a week before the second edition hits theatres on April 28. "We are planning to release part one maybe one or two weeks before the release of part two in southern states so people can get back into the narrative," Rajamouli said at the trailer launch of the Hindi version here. Both Rana Daggubati and Prabhas are overwhelmed with the response to the trailer. "The fans are happy with it. It's overwhelming to be a part of the film," Rana said. The Tamil version of the trailer had leaked online hours before its official release and the makers called it "technical glitch". "This particular thing is neither due to leakage or pirac
Read more

Samsung rolls out 'Made in India' privacy app for Galaxy A71, Galaxy A51

Image
  Smartphone maker  Samsung  on Monday said it has rolled out privacy app AltZLife developed at its India R&D centre on select handsets in the country. The app allows users of the Galaxy A71 and Galaxy A51  smartphones  to quickly switch to privacy mode from normal mode by double-clicking the power button and also automatically save images and videos in private folders based on the usage pattern. "The AltZLife feature will be available to the existing as well as new users of Galaxy A71 and Galaxy A51 through a software update on August 10, 2020,"  Samsung  said in a statement. According to a research conducted by Samsung, 79 per cent of generation-Z (those born between mid-90s and early 2000s) users admit to having content such as images, applications and private chats on their  smartphones  that they do not want family or others to see. Samsung  India Senior Director (Mobile Business) Manu Sharma said the app helps eliminate the anxiety that consumers usuall
Read more

Truecaller version 12 with new features for Android users launched

Image
  Swedish caller identification app  Truecaller  on Thursday rolled out its latest version 12 with a new Video Caller ID feature addition, call recording for free users, and a redesigned user interface (UI). A total of five features have been announced as part of the  Truecaller  Version 12 update. " Truecaller  is a vital part of communication for over 22 crore Indians, for both their professional and personal needs. We are humbled by the level of trust people have shown in us but we are also driven by the goal of transforming communication," Rishit Jhunjhunwala, Chief Product Officer and Managing Director, Truecaller India said in a statement. Video Caller ID feature allows users to set a short video that plays automatically when they call friends and family. Users can choose from one of the built-in video templates or record their own video. Another feature is Call Announce. Once enabled, the new optional feature will speak the caller ID for incoming phone calls ou
Read more