Healthcare Spending

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India will require an additional 1.3 billion square feet of healthcare space by 2030 to reach the global hospital beds-to-population average, according to CBRE. In its report 'The Evolving Indian Healthcare Ecosystem: What It Means for the Real Estate Sector', CBRE mentioned that the total number of beds available in India was 1.9 million in 2019, while the total area of healthcare space was 0.9 billion square feet. The consultant has projected that 2.9 million beds will be required by 2030 to reach the global average. The total additional area required to reach the global bed-to-population average would be 1.3 billion square feet by 2030. "India has one of the lowest bed-to-population ratios in the world, which is indicative of the infrastructure gap as well as the vast growth potential of this segment," CBRE South Asia said in a statement. The demand for quality healthcare has accelerated in tier II and III cities, it noted. Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO - India, South-East

China's President Xi Jinping urged greater coordination of global efforts to fight the pandemic, calling for a continued focus on people's health despite debate over the costs of Covid Zero policies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the government is working tirelessly to augment India's health infrastructure with a focus on ensuring good quality and affordable healthcare to citizens.

There is the problem of the current infrastructure being able to absorb higher levels of funding

According to the budget proposals for FY23, the government is planning to spend about Rs 83,000 crore on healthcare, the same as it did in FY22

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for Friday

Finance Minister Nirmala Sithar­aman said the government would provide 75 per cent coverage for new projects and 50 per cent for those in expansion mode in the non-metros

Programme will reportedly allow companies to access funds for ramping up hospital capacity or medical supplies with the government acting as a guarantor

The ombudsman concluded the insured could not be faulted for the charges levied for PPE kits, and the insurer would have to reimburse this amount

Only when both sectors take joint actions, can the country brave another onslaught

India's public expenditure on health is the lowest among the BRICS nations, DEA Secretary Ajay Seth said stressing that technology can play a great role in improving access to healthcare

Pandemic is a reminder of why even a dynamic private sector needs a state that can support its efforts.

Non-metros (Tier-II and III cities) are expected to recover faster than the metropolitan areas and tier-I cities

PMSSN covers any any programme to achieve India's sustainable development goals and the targets set out in the national health policy

It is unclear as to why Rs 35,000 crore has been earmarked for vaccines, writes K Sujatha Rao.

The pharma and healthcare industry has welcomed the government's decision to increase allocation for the sector

There is yet no clarity on how this fund will be raised, how much states will contribute, and how much the new vaccines will cost

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The government should increase healthcare spend in the ensuing budget for ramping up the infrastructure in the sector, healthcare service providers have said. "The public spend in healthcare needs to increase from the current 1.2 per cent to at least 2.5 per cent of GDP in the next 3 years, much of which should be invested in creating and modernising our infrastructure. Hopefully, the budget for 2021-22 would take the important first step towards this," Manipal Hospitals MD & CEO Dilip Jose said in a statement. Rapid and proactive actions of the government and the tireless efforts of healthcare workers helped the country navigate the COVID-19 pandemic; however, it exposed the chinks in the healthcare system, and highlighted the need for a major infrastructure revamp, he added. Highlighting the expectations from the budget, Metropolis Healthcare Promoter & MD Ameera Shah said, "The lack of adequate public health infrastructure in India combined with a high Out-of-pocket ...