Bengaluru: Thrust will be laid on preventive healthcare in the new health policy, which will focus on integration and convergence of various health schemes. The aim is to ensure health for all, said Dr Rajeshwara Rao, joint secretary, ministry of health and family welfare, inaugurating the Healthcare Summit Karnataka here on Tuesday.
The Healthcare Summit is being organised by the department of health and family welfare, National Health Mission along with Elets Technomedia. Kerala Health Minister Shylaja Teacher also participated in the event.
Showcasing high potential healthcare initiatives for transforming healthcare service delivery in Karnataka to ensure "Health for All", the Healthcare Summit Karnataka was inaugurated by state health minister K.R. Ramesh Kumar.
Almelu, director, New India Assurance Company, said that only 17 per cent of the population in the country is covered by insurances, while healthcare comes from out of pocket expenditure for the rest. As per a study by the National Sample Survey Office, "while for 80 per cent of the people, healthcare is out of pocket expenditure, 28 percent among these even borrow money for treatment," she said. If hospital charges are regulated, the government can bear the cost of those who cannot afford it, she said.
Dr Ratan Khelkar, mission director, National Health Mission, said that Karnataka could learn from Kerala, which has the most number of self-help groups working in the healthcare sector.
