Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar today called for a collective effort and a greater public- private partnership for healthcare infrastructure expansion in the country.

Noting that Indian healthcare demands are of a great scale and diversity, he called for greater collaboration between all stakeholders to achieve the “collective dream of Universal Healthcare”.

Inaugurating the FICCI’s 16th Annual Healthcare conference – FICCI HEAL 2022 with the theme, ‘Healthcare Transformation: Driving India’s Economic Growth’, the Vice President lauded the healthcare industry and the trade bodies such as FICCI for the thriving medical tourism in India.\

Noting the government’s initiative in positioning India as a global hub for medical and wellness tourism through the 'Heal in India' initiative, Dhankhar called for redoubling the efforts to utilise India’s potential to become a ‘prime health tourism destination’.

Recalling India’s experience with the COVID pandemic, the Vice President paid rich tributes to the healthcare workers and scientists for their contributions and added that India has not only vaccinated its citizens in a short period, but also exported vaccines to many nations.

The Vice President also noted that thanks to the tireless efforts of the healthcare sector, India has registered a significant decline in health indicators such as the Infant Mortality Rate since 1990 and is on course to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets.

Referring to the mega health program, ‘Ayushman Bharat’, Shri Dhankhar said that the scheme has been instrumental in bridging the gap between rich and poor in terms of accessibility of healthcare services in the country.

Stressing that healthcare is one of the most important pillars of nation-building, the Vice President said that “Health and Education are twins that need to be well looked after and nurtured for our present and future well-being”.

Dr Sangita Reddy, Past President, FICCI, Mr Gautam Khanna, Chair, FICCI Health Services Committee, Dr Harsh Mahajan, Co-Chair, FICCI Health Services Committee, Brig. Dr Arvind Lal, Chair, FICCI Swasth Bharat Task Force, Mr Arun Chawla, Director General, FICCI and other dignitaries were present during the event.